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^<5AaVH8ll^N!»^      "^AHVHani^ 


IN  THE  HEEL  OF  ITALY 


Frontispiece^  M.  S.  B.  del 

I.       A    HOUSE    IN    VIA    LEONARDO    PRATO,    LECCE 

(By  permission  of  The  Architectural  Review) 


IN  THE 

HEEL  OF  ITALY 

A  STUDY  OF  AN  UNKNOWN  CITY 


BY 

MARTIN  SHAW  BRIGGS 

A.R.I. B.A. 

Associate  of  the  British  School  at  Rome 
and  Extension  Lecturer  to  the  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Leeds 


WITH    26   DRAWINGS   BY  THE   AUTHOR 
AND    19   PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

DUFFIELD  &  COMPANY 

1911 


PRINTED  BY 

HAZELL,    WATSON   AND   VINEY,    LD., 

LONDON    AND    AYLESBURY, 

ENGLAND. 


h>l 


51  5 


PREFACE 

""  My  interest  in  the  unknown  district  with  which  this 
book  deals  dates  from  a  commission  from  the  Editor 
of  The  Architectural  Revieiv  three  years  ago  to  explore 
the  city  of  Lecce  and  to  describe  and  illustrate  its 
buildings.  By  his  courtesy  I  am  able  to  reproduce  in 
this  book  eight  of  the  drawings  which  have  appeared 
in  that  magazine. 
_j.  In  preparing  the  short  series  thus  contributed, 
^  I  found  so  much  untouched  and  valuable  material 
awaiting  to  be  collected  and  recorded,  that  I  com- 
menced the  present  work,  which  is  an  attempt  (the 
first  ever  made  in  any  language)  to  outline  the  story 
of  the  city's  history,  to  describe  its  inhabitants, 
their  interesting  province,  and  their  remarkable 
achievements  in  art. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  much  kind  and  helpful 
assistance  from  Dr.  Ashby,  of  the  British  School  at 
Rome;  Dr.  Arthur  HaselofF,  of  the  Prussian  Historical 
Institute  (who  has  also  kindly  allowed  me  to  re- 
produce   two    of    his     photographs) ;    Dr.    A.    Cort 


3:23191 


vi  PREFACE 

Haddon  and  Mr.  C.  E.  Shipley,  of  Cambridge; 
Professor  Garstang,  of  Leeds  University  ;  Dr.  R.  F. 
Horton,  of  Hampstead ;  Mr.  Herbert  Vaughan,  of 
Florence;  Mr.  E.  G.  Gardner;  Mr.  N.  G.  B.  James; 
and  Dr.  Holland  Rose.  Mr.  Ralph  Thorp  was  my 
companion  on  my  first  visit  to  Lecce  in  1907. 

In  Lecce  itself  I  met  with  unexpectedly  warm 
hospitality  in  1909,  from  Colonel  Paolo  Sacconi  and 
Major  Lionetti,  of  the  47th  Regiment,  then  stationed 
there.  I  was  enabled  in  their  company  to  visit 
many  places  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
closed  to  me,  and  on  one  occasion  when  I  was 
arrested  by  over-zealous  sentinels  while  making  a 
harmless  sketch  of  San  Cataldo,  their  intervention 
saved  me  from  a  very  unpleasant  situation,  and 
relieved  me  from  one  which  had  already  become 
strained. 

The  civic  authorities  gave  me  every  assistance 
and  an  excellent  book ;  Professor  Di  Giorgi,  the  local 
archaeologist,  entertained  me  in  his  flat  with  his 
great  knowledge  of  the  district,  and  at  Otranto  I 
had  the  honour  of  meeting  Luigi  Cosentino,  a  fine 
old  veteran  who  fought  in  the  '48,  and  who  gave  me 
some  rare  books  on  his  native  place. 

My  thanks  are  due  to  the  many  writers  whose 
works  I  have  plundered,  and  whose  names  are 
merely  found  in  the  Bibliography  unless  actual 
quotation  has  been  made.  This  book  was  too  near 
completion  to  allow  of  utilising  Sig.  Palumbe's  little 


PREFACE  vii 

"  Storia  di  Lecce,"  now  appearing  in  parts  ;  but 
with  this  exception  1  have  consulted  all  available 
authorities. 

Lastly,  I  must  record  my  deep  sense  of  gratitude 
to  the  two  friends  whose  sympathetic  criticism  and 
help  have  been  of  such  value  during  the  preparation 
of  this  book. 

ii,  porchester  place, 
Hyde  Park,  V^. 

March  19  lo. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

I.      AN    UNKNOWN   CITY I 

II.      LECCE    UP   TO    NORMAN   TIMES             -            •            •  33 

III.  LECCE    UNDER   THE    NORMANS    (1OI9-I2OO)       .  8$ 

IV.  LECCE    UNDER   THE    BRIENNES   ( 1 200- 1 3 56)      .  IO4 
V.      LECCE's   later   COUNTS   (1356-I463)        .            .  I38 

VI.      LECCE    UNDER   SPANISH    RULERS   (1463-I799).  165 

VII.      REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE   (1799-1866)         .  .201 

VIII.      THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE     .            .            .  236 

IX.      THE    PEOPLE   OF    LECCE 2/0 

X.      THE   COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  ....  30I 

APPENDIX  :   ARCHITECTURAL   AND    HISTORICAL   NOTES 

ON    LECCE    BUILDINGS 33I 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 359 

INDEX 373 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


1.  HOUSE    IN    VIA    LEONARDO    PRATO,    LECCE 

2.  ERINDISI    FROM    THE    HARBOUR 

3.  IN    PIAZZA    S.    ORONZO,    LECCE 

4.  A    LECCE    VIALE 

5.  THE   GARDENS,    LECCE  .... 

6.  IN    THE    ROMAN    AMPHITHEATRE,    LECCE 

7.  S.    NICOLO    E    CATALDO,    LECCE:    SIDE   VIEW 

INTERIOR 


8. 

9. 
10. 

II. 


principal  doorway 

„  ,,  (detail 

detail  of  capitals 


\ 


12.  THE   CAMPANILE,    SOLETO 

13.  THE    NAPLES    GATE,    LECCE     . 

14.  CORTILE    OF    THE    PREFETTURA,    LECCE  . 

15.  DUKE    SIGI3M0ND0    CASTROiMEDIANO 


Frontispiece 

FACING    PAGE 

12 


20 
32 
32 
78 
92 

94 
96 

100 
102 
156 


228 


XI 1 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


16. 

17- 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 


A    BAROQUE   CHURCH    IN    ROME       . 

THE   SEDILE   AND   VENETIAN    CHAPEL,    LECCE 

S.    IRENE,    LECCE 

CHURCH    OF    THE   JESUITS,    LECCE 


FACING   PAGE 
.         236 


24. 

25- 

26. 
27. 
28. 
29. 

30- 
31- 
32. 
33- 
34. 
35- 
36. 


S.    CROCE,    LECCE 244 

THE    CATHEDRAL,    LECCE  :    EXTERIOR      ....  246 

,,                  „                  ,,             INTERIOR       .            .            .            .  248 

CHURCH    OF   THE    CARM  NE,    LECCE  :    INTERIOR         .            .  250 

S.    NIC0l6    E   CATALDO,    LECCE  :     THE    BAROQUE    FACADE  252 

CHURCH    OF    THE   CARMINE,    LECCE  :    EXTERIOR        .            .  254 

THE    MUNICIPIO,    LECCE            ......  254 

ENTRANCE   TO    THE    PIAZZA    DEL    DUOMO,    LECCE     .  .256 

THE   SEMINARIO,    LECCE 258 

PALACE    OPPOSITE   THE   LICEO,    LECCE     ....  260 

PALAZZO    CONTE   CASTRIOTA,    LECCE          ....  262 

FACADE    OF    THE    PREFETTURA,    LECCE    ....  264 

PALAZZO   CONTE    BALZO,    LECCE 266 

HOUSE    IN    VIA    LEONARDO    PRATO,    LECCE         .            .            .  268 

S.    CATALDO,    THE   OLD    PORT    OF    LECCE             .            .            .  304 

THE    QUAY,    GALLIPOLI 312 

THE   OUTER   WALLS,    GALLIPOLI 312 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  xiii 

FACING    PAGE 

37.  THE    POST   OFFICE,    GALLIPOLI 316 

38.  S.    FRANCESCO,    AND   THE   MARTYRS'    HILL,    OTRANTO        .  324 

39.  THE   CRYPT,    OTRANTO    CATHEDRAL           .            .            .            .  328 

40.  A    DOORWAY    IN    THE   CLOISTER,    S.    CROCE,    LECCE  .            .  336 

41.  A    CAPITAL               „                      „                   „                  „           .            .  338 

42.  A    BAROQUE   WINDOW,    LECCE            .....  350 

43.  THE   CLOISTERS    OF   THE    ROSARIO    CHURCH,    LECCE            .  350 

44.  PLAN    OF    THE   CITY    OF    LECCE 372 

45.  MAP    OF   THE    "heel   OF    ITALY" 372 


IN   THE    HEEL  OF   ITALY 


CHAPTER   I 

AN    UNKNOWN   CITY 

Eight  miles  from  the  Adriatic  coast  and  about  twice 
as  far  from  the  shores  of  the  blue  Ionian  Sea,  in  the 
rich  plain  forming  the  heel  of  Italy,  lies  the  fair  city 
of  Lecce,  a  city  with  a  noble  history  and  a  pulsing 
present,  a  city  which,  though  of  considerable  im- 
portance to  the  Italy  of  to-day,  is  possessed  of 
priceless  relics  of  a  past  stretching  back  to  the  dim 
tracts  on  the  confines  of  primitive  history. 

Italy  itself  has  a  triple  fascination  for  a  traveller 
who  uses  his  mind  and  his  eyes  for  the  purpose 
intended  by  Providence,  a  fascination  indeed  which 
need  not  be  confined  to  travellers,  but  may  reason- 
ably be  attributed  to  the  dwellers  in  this  alluring 
land. 

There  is  firstly  the  charm  of  the  country  as  a  whole, 
the  prevailing  conditions  of  sunshine  and  a  clear 
atmosphere,  the  varied  tints  of  vineyard  slopes  and 
Apennine  snows,  the  deep  colours  of  the  sea  with 
the  red  sails  of  fishing-boats,  the  superb  flowers  and 
luscious  fruits  of  the  earth. 

Then  there  is  the  charm  of  the  past,  the  witchery 
of  history  to   a  romantic   mind.      In   Italy,  perhaps 

I 


2  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

more   than  in   any  country,  one   is   conscious  of  the 
antiquity  of  the  ground  one  stands  on. 

It  was  indeed  this  rather  than  any  other  lure  that 
drew  one  famous  EngHsh  dreamer,  George  Gissing, 
to  Italy  from  his  hard  lot  in  the  shabby  purlieus 
of  a  squalid  part  of  London,  when  his  means  were 
so  scanty  that  such  a  journey  seemed  well-nigh 
madness  ;  and  it  was  this  attraction  which  lightened 
up  with  happy  memories  the  foggy  days  of  a  London 
autumn  when  the  hardships  of  a  struggling  existence 
made  his  life  no  brighter  than  his  surroundings. 
He  has  written  in  his  delightful  book,  "  The  Ionian 
Sea,"  so  much  of  himself  into  his  pictures  of  the 
ruined  cities  and  remote  villages  which  he  visited 
that  we  can  feel  the  tie  that  drew  him  so  strongly 
southwards — a  tie  of  the  mind  rather  than  of  the 
eye.  He  was  gifted  with  so  keen  a  sense  of  imagina- 
tion that  he  peopled  these  lonely  shores  with  the 
men  who  walked  there  more  than  two  thousand 
years  ago,  with  the  figures  of  Pythagoras  and  his 
followers  when  Magna  Graecia  was  the  richest,  most 
cultivated,  and  most  luxury-loving  country  in  all 
the  earth.  And  not  only  in  such  remote  times,  but 
through  all  the  succeeding  years,  through  the  period 
of  Roman  empire  and  decline,  through  the  times  of 
invasion  and  strange  influences  from  more  northern 
climes,  through  the  lusty  middle  ages  when  every 
townlet  had  its  neighbour  by  the  ears,  and  through 
the  gay  days  of  the  Renaissance  and  the  Papacy — the 
spirit  of  history  in  Italy  never  rests,  the  tale  never 
becomes  dull. 

And  lastly,  the  third  charm  of  Italy  is  perhaps  the 
most  subtle  of  all  if  it  be  analysed,  and  certainly  the 
most  difficult  to  appreciate,  the  charm  of  the  present. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  3 

For  Italy  is  by  no  means  a  country  dependent  on 
its  past,  though  many  casual  travellers  seem  so  to 
think,  and  unfortunately  so  to  regulate  their  behaviour. 
There  is  nothing  more  repellent  to  an  Italian  of  spirit 
than  to  find  an  English  or  American  tourist  treating 
Rome  with  a  proprietary  rudeness  which  he  would 
never  think  of  displaying  in  London. 

Rome  is  a  show  place,  no  doubt,  but  it  is  also  the 
capital  of  an  important  country,  and  in  the  view   of 
its  citizens  has  an  existence  quite  independent  of  the 
Via    Balbuino   and  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  where  the 
red  covers  of  Baedeker  most  do  congregate.     If  Rome 
was  not  built  in  a  day,  there  is  no  immediate  likeli- 
hood of  its  being  turned  into  a  happy  hunting-ground 
like  Vesuvius,  now  practically  controlled  by  Messrs. 
T.  Cook  &  Son.     And  surely  the  acme  of  a  Compleat 
Traveller's  joy  is  reached  when   he   forgets  that  he 
is  in  a  foreign  land,  sinks   his   identity  for  the  time 
being  among  other  customs  and  other  faiths,  relishing 
all  the  emotions  of  an  alien's  happiness  without  the 
discomforts  of  self-consciousness.     In  Italy  one  need 
not  live  in  hushed  silence  as  in  cemetery  or  museum  : 
all  around  there   is   life   and  movement,   industry  or 
pleasure.      Patriotism    is   rampant   everywhere,   pat- 
riotism devoid   of  jingo   spirit ;   for   the   days  of  the 
Risorgimento   are   too    recent   to   permit   of   a   loose 
parade    of    catchwords   and   bombast.      So   far   from 
being  a  country  with  a  past,  Italy  is  rather  a  country 
with    a    future,    possible    only   since    liberation   and 
unification  have  been  accomplished. 

The  triple  fascination  thus  defined,  it  is  tempting 
to  generalise  further  and  claim  a  special  attraction 
for  certain  cities  over  and  above  the  common  run  of 
places. 


4  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

"  For  me,"  wrote  Arthur  Symons,  "  cities  are  like 
people,  with  souls  and  temperaments  of  their  own  ; 
and  it  has  always  been  one  of  my  chief  pleasures  to 
associate  with  the  souls  and  temperaments  congenial 
to  me  among  cities.  And  as  love,  or  it  may  be  hate, 
can  alone  reveal  soul  to  soul  among  human  beings, 
so,  it  seems  to  me,  the  soul  of  a  city  will  reveal 
itself  only  to  those  who  love,  or  perhaps  hate  it 
with  a  far-sighted  emotion. 

"  1  have  come  upon  many  cities  which  have  left  me 
indifferent,  perhaps  through  some  accident  in  my  way 
of  approach  ;  at  any  rate  they  had  nothing  to  say  to 
me.  ...  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  write  about 
these  cities  :  1  should  have  nothing  to  say.  But  certain 
other  cities  .  .  .  how  I  have  loved  them,  what  a  delight 
it  was  to  me  merely  to  be  alive,  and  living  in  them  ; 
and  what  a  delight  it  is  to  me  to  think  of  them,  to 
imagine  myself  in  their  streets  or  on  their  waters.  .  .  . 
It  seems  to  me  that  all  these  cities  have  given  up  to 
me  something  of  their  souls,  like  the  people  I  have 
loved  and  hated  on  my  way  through  the  world." 

If,  then,  this  added  local  interest  can  be  added  to 
the  charms  of  a  land  already  teeming  with  rich 
associations,  dowered  with  beautiful  scenery,  and 
palpitating  with  human  life,  any  attempt  to  review 
the  story  of  a  particular  city  as  a  separate  entity 
becomes  a  work  with  possibihties ;  and  if,  as  in  the 
present  case,  no  previous  attempt  has  been  made,  if 
an  important  capital  of  a  large  and  prosperous  province 
still  awaits  the  hand  of  him  who  will  pull  aside  the 
briars  and  discover  the  hidden  sleepers  within,  the 
task  becomes  almost  a  necessity. 

With  all  the  feverish  romance  of  Italy  thrilling  in 
our  souls  (and,  after  all,  the  thrill  defies  analysis), 
we  will  approach  what,   in  an   age   of  cheap   tickets 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  5 

and  easy  travelling,  it  seems  almost  farcical — at  any 
rate  presumptuous — to  describe  as  an  unknown  city. 

To  claim  for  a  city  that  it  is  unknown  in  the  accepted 
sense  would  seem  to  infer  that  it  is  also  inaccessible  ; 
but  that  does  not  apply  to  the  case  of  Lecce.  A 
traveller  from  England  who  may,  if  the  fancy  please 
him,  journey  from  Dieppe  or  Boulogne  to  Milan 
without  change  of  carriage,  finds  on  reaching  his 
destination  another  train  which  departs  from  the  same 
platform  and  bears  him  to  Lecce  in  comfort,  a  matter 
of  some  twenty  hours.  Italian  express  trains  are 
no  longer  the  subjects  of  common  jest ;  they  are 
punctual  and  well-appointed  for  the  most  part,  con- 
sisting of  roomy  corridor  carriages,  with  a  clever 
contrivance  for  converting  the  electric  light  to  a  dull 
blue  glow  at  night  when  one  craves  for  sleep.  From 
Rome  and  Naples  also  through  trains  run  to  Lecce 
daily;  and  as  Brindisi  is  only  a  few  miles  away 
tourists  from  Greece  or  Egypt  might  well  pay  our 
city  a  visit,  were  its  name  and  fame  only  known 
to  them. 

Baedeker's  reference  to  the  coast-line  from  Rimini 
to  Lecce,  which  forms  the  greater  part  of  the  journey 
direct  from  Milan,  hints  at  a  dull  route  devoid  of 
interest,  but  is  altogether  unfair.  After  leaving 
Bologna — in  the  ordinary  course  of  things  the  place 
where  one  rushes  for  a  hasty  meal — the  Adriatic  shore 
is  soon  reached,  and  the  railway  keeps  close  to  the 
waves  for  the  rest  of  the  journey  except  near  Foggia. 
The  townsof  chief  importance  passed  are  by  no  means 
"  devoid  of  interest  " — Ancona,  Foggia,  Bari,  and  many 
others,  and  many  of  the  small  ones  are  beautiful. 
A  recently  published  book  describing  this  coast  must 


6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

have  dispelled  from  the  minds  of  its  readers  any 
doubt  as  to  the  interest  of  the  scenery  for  these  many 
hundred  miles. 

Most  of  the  cities  have  an  eastern  aspect,  with 
brilliant  white  walls,  flat  roofs,  and  palm-trees,  a 
dazzling  effect  in  sunshine  enlivened  by  gay  tiles  or 
the  gilding  of  some  cupola.  The  shipping  is  invariably 
picturesque,  the  sea-board  land  very  fertile.  At 
Brindisi  we  are  within  the  Province  of  Lecce,  and 
here  is  the  junction  of  the  line  from  Naples  via 
Salerno,  Metaponto,  and  Taranto.  In  many  ways 
this  is  a  more  interesting  journey  than  the  direct  route 
from  Milan,  and,  being  little  known  to  travellers,  is 
perhaps  deserving  of  a  brief  description. 

I  well  remember  my  first  visit  to  this  unknown 
land,  the  dreary  prospect  that  appeared  through  the 
hotel  windows  over  the  house-tops  of  a  Naples  square, 
the  advent  of  early  coffee,  a  sleepy  hurrying  into 
clothes ;  then  to  the  almost  deserted  booking-office 
to  catch  the  early  train,  for  it  is  a  far  cry  to  Lecce, 
and  the  scenery  must  be  seen  in  daylight.  Moreover, 
one  solitary  train  only  does  the  whole  journey  in 
one  day. 

This  morning  the  great  railway  station  looks  more 
dismal  and  silent  than  usual,  for  it  is  misty  and 
actually  cold.  Later  in  the  day  bustling,  shouting, 
perspiring  crowds  will  make  the  place  as  noisy  as 
any  in  this  noisiest  of  cities,  but  now  this  funereal 
yawning  on  all  sides  seems  to  take  the  gladness  out 
of  a  southern  April.  As  we  steam  round  the  famous 
Bay  it  is  hardly  possible  to  see  Vesuvius  in  the 
half-mist  which  hangs  upon  its  flanks,  but  as  we 
approach  it  the  sun  begins  to  be  felt,  lights  up  the 
sea  with  a  pink  radiance,  and  keeps  our  eyes  looking 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  7 

seawards  rather  than  on  the  squalid  desolation  of  the 
lava-covered  ruins  on  our  left.  Pompeii  passed,  the 
scenery  begins  to  change.  The  cliffs  are  darker  in 
colour,  the  waves  a  richer  blue.  Salerno  lies  between 
us  and  the  sand,  a  huddle  of  bright  roofs  and  a  few 
hotels.  Then  we  leave  the  coast,  traverse  a  plain, 
and  begin  to  ascend  the  rocky  valley  of  the  Tanager, 
one  of  the  rivers  whose  name  is  a  link  with  classic 
times.  Narrower  and  narrower  becomes  the  gorge  ; 
there  is  hardly  room  for  a  footpath  by  the  side  of 
the  metals.  Then  the  line  is  carried  through  tunnels 
arcaded  on  one  side  in  the  solid  rock  so  that  a 
succession  of  flashes  of  dazzling  sunshine  makes  one 
blink  till  darkness  or  daylight  is  again  reached.  A 
cinematograph  in  the  days  of  its  infancy  produced 
a  mildly  similar  effect,  and  even  in  English  sunlight 
one  experiences  it  passing  through  woods  of  a 
moderate  density  by  train.  It  is  a  relief  in  this 
Italian  case  to  rise  out  of  such  a  tantalisingly  elusive 
panorama  to  the  higher  plateau  above.  As  the  engine 
throbs  up  the  steep  gradient  towards  the  summit,  a 
totally  new  view  discloses  itself.  Instead  of  won- 
drously  tinted  rocks,  foaming  water,  precipitous 
slopes  on  either  hand,  and  brilliant  glimpses  of  blue 
overhead,  here  are  broad  expanses  of  blue  grassy 
upland,  with  occasional  weather-worn  cottages  or 
shepherds'  huts  of  greyish  stone. 

Where  before  have  I  seen  this  same  calm  loneli- 
ness? 

Never  in  Italy ;  nor  does  one  associate  that  romantic 
land  with  anything  so  absurdly  like  the  moors  from 
which  our  North  Country  streams  make  their  stormy 
exit. 

Running  water— the  most  musical  sound  on  God's 


8  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

earth — close-cropped  grass,  patches  of  grey  stone   in 

craggy  outscarp  or  wind-swept  homestead,  and  above 

all   the   vast   expanse   of  sky   with   its  overpowering 

silence.     Am   I   dreaming?     Is  this  the  approach  to 

Hawes  or  Shap,  with  the  line  curling  up  over   the 

blue   shoulders  of  some   giant  fell,  and   a   clattering 

torrent    in    its    stony   bed    just    below   the   carriage 

window  ?     I  listen  for  the  cry  of  a  frightened  curlew 

seeking   sanctuary    in    some    inaccessible    corner    of 

Penyghent — when  suddenly  the  spell  is  broken.     An 

Italian  tongue  cries  out  the  name  of  a  station,  and  we 

have   reached   Tito,  the   head   of  the   pass   over   the 

Apennines,  which  run  southwards  from  here  through 

the  peninsula  of  Calabria.      We  halt  a  few  minutes 

for  the  clumsy  black  locomotive  to  take  a  breath,  and 

then  drop  slightly  from  our   present   altitude — about 

3,000  feet  above  the  sea — to  Potenza  over  these  bracing 

uplands. 

Potenza  is  a  cathedral  city  of  17,000  inhabitants,  and 
is  the  capital  of  a  province  of  the  same  name,  formerly 
known  as  the  Basilicata — a  relic  of  the  days  when  the 
Basileus  of  Constantinople  was  its  ruler.  Not  long 
ago  there  appeared  in  an  English  newspaper  an 
account  of  an  appalling  blood-feud  which  had  broken 
out  here ;  for  even  in  this  hill-district — the  counterpart 
of  those  which  in  England  breed  the  "  sturdy,  silent 
dalesmen " — there  flames  the  hot  blood  which  made 
the  acting  of  Signor  Grasso's  Sicilians  the  talk  of 
London  recently. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  the  two  cities  of  Lecce 
and  Potenza,  capitals  of  adjoining  provinces,  yet  how 
different  in  every  aspect !  The  former  in  a  smiling 
plain  washed  by  the  gentle  tides  of  a  quiet  sea,  bowered 
in  orchards  and  gardens — a  land  formerly  of  pirates 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  9 

and  fighting  men,  now  a  pleasant  place  for  an  idler's 
dreams.  The  latter,  surrounded  by  a  jumble  of  stony 
valleys,  or  naked  plateaux  dotted  with  scanty  townlets 
perched  on  some  commanding  rock,  a  paradise  for 
brigandage  were  not  poverty  so  prevailing. 

But  horns  blow,  raucous  voices  are  raised,  and  we 
move  off  down  the  valley  of  the  Basento,  heading 
southwards  towards  the  Ionian  Sea.  Again  the 
scenery  has  changed.  For  fifty  miles  we  descend, 
with  beautiful  views  on  our  left  far  over  the  hills  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  at  last  reach  the  plain, 
a  stretch  of  brilliant  yellow  fields.  In  the  torrid  heat 
of  mid-afternoon  we  draw  up  at  the  junction  of 
Metaponto,  once  the  famous  Metapontum  of  the  Greeks 
(see  pp.  42  et  seq.),  now  a  dismal  railway  station  covered 
with  cheering  pictures  of  the  mosquito  on  a  colossal 
scale  to  advertise  methods  for  its  extinction.  A  brief 
wait  allows  time  for  a  visit  to  a  not  very  inviting 
restaurant,  where  the  usual  impossible  list  of  eatables 
and  drinkables  is  to  be  found.  How  one  sighs  for  a 
Joseph  Lyons  in  these  parts !  As  a  philanthropist  he 
would  rank  second  only  to  him  who  could  invent  a 
perfect  cure  for  the  mosquito  pest,  a  cure  which 
would  not  involve  the  stuffy  fumigating  of  bedrooms 
usually  adopted  as  a  bad  means  to  an  end. 

At  the  other  platform  stands  a  train  bound  for 
Calabria,  all  along  the  western  coast  of  the  Gulf  of 
Taranto,  where  are  the  ruins  of  so  many  of  those 
marvellous  cities  of  Magna  Graecia.  Looking  at  those 
ramshackle  carriages  full  of  men  in  greasy  soft  black 
hats,  I  reflect  on  the  possible  satisfaction  of  skirting 
that  deserted  shore  as  Gissing  did,^  and  wonder  if 
the   spectacle   of  so   much   death  would   be  too  sad. 

•  "  By  the  Ionian  Sea,"  pp.  53-6,  etc. 


10  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

The  same  haunting  grief  that  lays  hold  of  me  as  I 
stand  before  those  prosaic  cases  in  the  Museum  at 
Pompeii,  with  those  tortured  forms  suddenly  gasping 
for  breath,  will  it  not  also  seize  me  in  gazing  upon 
some  malarial  swamp  where  once  sounded  the  gay 
music  and  happy  revels  of  an  ancient  world  ? 

Metapontum  itself,  too,  where  is  it  ?  Metapontum, 
which  could  put  tens  of  thousands  of  ^rmed  warriors 
into  the  field  to  curb  the  proud  spirit  of  some  sister 
city — Metapontum,  the  centre  of  a  thriving  district, 
the  abode  of  learning  and  the  muses, — all  disappeared 
from  mortal  ken,  a  terrible  tribute  to  the  instability 
of  greatness.  All  that  can  be  seen  to-day,  without 
wandering  off  into  the  unknown  fields  around,  is  a 
little  group  of  glaring  station  buildings,  a  crowd  of 
thirsty  travellers  impatient  to  reach  their  homes,  a 
pair  of  hideous,  panting  engines  preparing  for  the 
last  stages  of  their  respective  journeys,  and  these 
inspiring  diagrams  of  the  mosquito  in  all  his  war- 
paint.^ 

But  in  front  of  us  stretches  a  blueness  such  as  I 
have  never  seen,  blue  so  clear  and  so  brilliant  that 
all  I  have  heard  and  imagined  of  the  Mediterranean 
becomes  insipid  before  the  reality.  This  is  the  Gulf 
of  Taranto,  which  twenty-five  centuries  ago  was 
perhaps  the  most  prosperous  water  in  the  world. 
And  as  we  leave  that  dismal  station,  where  Gissing 
tells  us  he  slept  a  night,  our  way  lies  close  to  that 
azure  sea,  separated  from  it  only  by  a  belt  of  vegeta- 
tion, which  forms  a  fitting  margin.  Cactus  of  many 
kinds,  tamarisk  and  oleanders,  junipers  and  mesam- 

'  For  further  information  as  to  Metapontum  see  Gissing,  p.  48  (with 
illustration,  good) ;  Ross,  pp,  163-6:  Baedeker's  "Southern  Italy," 
p.  221  (plan). 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  ii 

bryanthemums,  borage  and  hellebore,  with  a  carpet 
of  rosy  heath  ^ — beyond,  the  fine  clear  sand,  and  then 
the  lapping  waves,  that  indescribable  heavenly  blue 
broken  only  by  the  rich  reds  and  yellows  of  the 
fishing-boats'  sails.  A  station  or  two  is  marked  on 
the  map,  but  the  only  sign  of  life  on  that  silent  shore 
is  the  appearance  of  a  red-capped  and  blue-shirted 
signalman,  who  seems  to  wave  at  us  from  his  little 
hut  as  we  roll  past  him.  Twenty-five  miles  in  less 
than  an  hour  is  fast  enough  when  such  a  view  is  to 
be  seen.  The  monotonous  rumble  of  the  wheels  has 
been  in  my  ears  so  long  that  it  ceases  to  trouble  me, 
and  the  glorious  panorama  of  the  Gulf  seems  all  too 
short  as  the  train  approaches  Taranto — another  historic 
name  easily  recognisable  as  the  Tarentum  of  antiquity. 

We  are  now  in  the  province  of  Lecce,  and  Taranto, 
with  over  60,000  inhabitants,  is  the  largest  city  of  that 
province.  At  the  present  day  its  great  importance  is 
due  to  its  strategic  position  as  the  principal  harbour 
of  Southern  Italy,  and  to  its  possession  of  an  arsenal 
second  only  in  the  kingdom  to  that  of  Spezia.  A 
finely  situated  town,  it  concerns  us  little  here  save 
in  its  connection  with  Lecce  in  the  golden  age  of 
Greek  colonisation  (see  pp.  41  et  seq.).  An  arbitrary 
division  of  a  country  into  provinces  does  not  neces- 
sarily connect  widely  different  cities,  and  Taranto 
has  a  history  and  an  existence  of  its  own  much  too 
lengthy  to  be  included  within  the  limits  of  this 
modest  volume.- 

The   spring   days   are   lengthening,   and   the   sable 

'  "  Erica  Mediterranea."     A  large  bed  of  it  is  in  Kew  Gardens. 

^  For  information  as  to  Taranto  in  English  see  Ross,  pp.  107-146  ; 
Gissing,  pp.  27-43  ;  Baedeker's  "  Southern  Italy,"  p.  222,  etc.  In 
Italian,  "  La  Patria  "  (vol.  "  Puglie  "),  pp.  275-327.  In  French,  Bourget, 
"Sensations  d'ltalie,"  pp.  282-311. 


12  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

warships  may  be  seen  in  the  harbour ;  but  as  we 
cross  the  plain  to  Brindisi  dusk  is  falHng,  and  we 
can  barely  distinguish  the  great  castle  of  Oria 
looming  high  on  our  right. 

Brindisi  is  almost  a  household  word  to  Englishmen, 
and  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  a  reason.  For 
the  past  forty  years,  that  is  to  say,  since  the  opening 
of  the  Suez  Canal,  Brindisi  has  been  a  point  of 
departure  for  travellers  from  England  and  North- 
western Europe  to  the  East  via  Egypt.  At  the 
present  time  the  connection  is  maintained  by  a 
steamer  from  Brindisi  to  Port  Said  weekly,  the 
great  P.  &  O.  liners  going  from  Tilbury  and  Marseilles 
direct  to  Port  Said.  In  view  of  this  arrangement 
a  train-de-luxe  runs  from  Calais  to  Brindisi  in  some 
hours  less  than  any  of  the  other  expresses.  It  is 
difficult  to  see  how  such  a  service  can  be  remunerative 
unless  the  carrying  of  the  Indian  mail  is  an  exceedingly 
profitable  venture,  for  I  have  seen  this  train  arrive 
at  the  harbour  station  with  a  complement  of  only 
two  passengers,  while  more  than  half  a  dozen  servants 
of  the  company  had  ministered  to  their  wants  during 
the  journey. 

There  are,  of  course,  other  good  steamship  services 
from  Brindisi,  and  to  Corfu  and  Patras  for  Greece 
there  is  no  better  route. 

Yet  for  some  reason  the  town  is  one  which,  as 
Symons  has  said,  "  has  nothing  to  say  to  me."  It 
fails  to  make  the  most  of  itself.  I  come  to  it  with 
thoughts  of  its  great  past,  and  find  it  dirty  and  dull. 
With  all  the  added  attraction  of  a  cosmopolitan  port, 
with  all  the  added  beauty  of  the  fine  harbour,  it 
fails  to  satisfy.  Dust  blows  in  my  eyes,  the  wind 
is  cold,  and  the   streets  are   bare.      Cheeky  children 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  13 

cry  out  "  Oh  yes "  at  the  well-known  sight  of  an 
Englishman,  untidy  heaps  of  garbage  decorate  vacant 
sites,  and  half-built  houses  are  falling  into  decay. 
The  station  is  shabby,  the  main  street  squalid  in  the 
extreme.  Officious  porters  grab  my  sketching-bag 
from  my  arms  as  I  arrive,  officious  sentries  object 
to  my  looking  at  the  harbour  over  a  wall  which 
appears  in  some  remote  way  to  constitute  a  '*  fortifi- 
cation " — that  precious,  mysterious  thing  which  Italian 
military  law  regards  with  the  same  jealous  awe  as 
attaches  to  a  live  rail  on  an  electric  railway. 

At  the  hotel  1  certainly  am  well  fed,  but  pay  for 
it,  as  becomes  one  of  my  reputedly  wealthy  nation. 
Yet  the  room  looks  penurious  for  so  large  an  estab- 
lishment, and  outside  there  is  a  place  probably  in- 
tended for  a  lounge,  there  being  a  few  basket-chairs 
on  a  remarkably  cheerless  floor.  My  correspondence 
at  a  little  table  is  interrupted  by  the  gambols  of  most 
of  the  staff"  with  a  child  of  the  proprietor,  and  another 
young  hopeful  can  be  heard  in  the  pursuit  of  piano 
studies  above  stairs. 

On  the  arrival  of  a  steamer  the  place  suddenly 
bursts  into  life.  All  the  inhabitants  rely  on  fleecing 
some  unfortunate  traveller  between  landing-stage 
and  train.  At  this  station,  for  the  first  time  in  Italy, 
I  was  warned  by  the  clerk  at  the  left-luggage  office 
not  to  leave  any  package  which  was  insecurely 
fastened  or  any  overcoat  with  valuables  in  its 
pockets. 

It  is  a  Sunday,  and  the  principal  afternoon  attraction 
is  a  cinematograph  representation  entitled  "  Oliver 
Cromwell,"  containing  a  diverting  incident,  the 
execution  of  Charles  1.  in  full  colour;  but  after 
paying  for   a   seat    I    find   no   prospect   of  the   show 


14  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

commencing,  and    have   to   return   to   the   station   to 
catch  the  evening  train  to  Lecce. 

Brindisi  and  Lecce  are  two  very  different  cities, 
and  the  former  in  a  way  acts  as  a  very  effective  foil 
to  the  latter.  Brindisi,  though  not  a  tourist  centre, 
is  of  importance  to  Englishmen  and  others  as  a  point 
of  embarkation,  and  is  constantly  meeting  our  glance 
in  the  columns  of  newspapers.  Nor  is  its  decayed 
harbour  altogether  negligible  from  a  naval  and 
military  point  of  view.  Take  away  the  foreign 
element,  and  Brindisi's  usefulness  lessens  visibly,  its 
reputation  practically  vanishes.  Lecce,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  self-contained  and  self-supporting.  We  have 
spoken  of  Lecce  as  an  art  centre,  whereas  Brindisi's 
battered  relics  are  few  and  far  between.  It  was 
a  great  place  in  Roman  times,  as  every  schoolboy 
knows,  but  all  that  remains  of  old  Rome  is  the 
lonely  column  standing  above  the  harbour  steps, 
where  finished  the  long  line  of  the  Appian  Way 
from  the  Eternal  City  to  the  eastern  shore  of  Italy. 
Brindisi  undoubtedly  had  a  very  early  beginning, 
due,  as  with  most  other  places  round  these  shores, 
to  some  misty  settlers  from  Crete  or  elsewhere. 
Whether  the  Greeks  ever  colonised  it  we  know  not, 
but  of  its  position  under  Rome  there  is  no  doubt. 
It  was  fully  two  centuries  before  our  era  that  it 
became  useful  as  a  point  of  departure  for  the  in- 
creasingly frequent  wars  with  Eastern  and  Mediter- 
ranean powers.  Its  wane  was  heralded  in  the  civil 
war  between  Caesar  and  Pompey  (b.c.  49),  when  the 
former  surrounded  his  rival  and  endeavoured  to 
prevent  his  egress  from  the  harbour  by  planting 
stakes  across  the  channel  and  also  sinking  boats. 
Pompey   somehow  escaped,  but    after   this    we   hear 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  15 

less  of  the  city,  and  indeed  until  recent  times  it  is 
of  very  secondary  importance.  It  was  almost  wiped 
out  in  the  Dark  Ages  more  than  once,  yet  managed 
to  lose  forty  thousand  citizens  during  a  siege  by 
Robert  Guiscard.  In  mediaeval  times  there  were  the 
usual  incidents  of  warfare  and  bloodshed,  varied  by 
an  occasional  plague,  up  to  1456,  when  a  terrible  earth- 
quake cost  the  lives  of  most  of  the  citizens  and  left 
only  one  church  standing.  From  this  date  onward 
there  is  no  outstanding  event  in  the  city's  history. 
A  certain  number  of  baroque  buildings  exist,  a  few 
of  them  noteworthy,  of  the  same  character  as  we  find 
in  Lecce,  and  the  principal  gate  out  of  the  city — 
erected  by  Charles  V.  in  the  sixteenth  century — is  the 
Porta  Lecce.  It  is  particularly  fitting,  as  we  shall 
see  later,  that  this  emperor  should  be  responsible 
for  our  first  meeting  with  the  name  of  the  city. 

Having  occupied  several  pages  in  arriving  at  Lecce, 
it  now  becomes  necessary  to  explain  the  individual 
interest  which  makes  it  different  from  other  Italian 
cities  and  which  makes  it  so  well  worthy  of  a  visit. 

In  early  times  the  place  was  of  great  importance — 
indeed,  it  is  only  within  recent  years  that  people  have 
recognised  bow  great  importance — in  the  Middle  Ages 
it  warred  with  all  its  neighbours,  and  still  possesses 
mediaeval  buildings.  But  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  a  brilliant  architectural  period 
came  into  being,  and  to  this  period  the  greater  part 
of  the  city  as  we  now  see  it  belongs.  The  older 
remains,  interesting  as  they  are,  interfere  but  little 
with  the  general  effect  of  Lecce  as  a  baroque'^  city 
surrounded  by  mediaeval  walls  .and  gates.  Recent 
'  "  Baroque  "  (Fr.)  =  irregular,  uncouth,  strange. 


i6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

building  has  been  chiefly  confined  to  extension  outside 
the  walls,  in  fine  boulevards,  and  to  suburbs  beyond 
these. 

This  period  of  Italian  architecture  is  known  as 
baroque,  from  its  prevailing  tendency  to  be  overflorid, 
regardless  of  accepted  canons,  even  to  the  point  of 
ugliness.  In  some  of  its  forms  it  approaches  our  own 
Jacobean,  in  others  our  more  restrained  Georgian. 
Its  variety  is  almost  inexhaustible.  In  a  subsequent 
chapter  dealing  specifically  with  Lecce  architecture  of 
this  period  the  merits  of  baroque  in  the  city  and  in 
Italy  as  a  whole  will  be  considered,  and  an  attempt 
made  to  remove  the  thoughtless  habit  of  critics  in 
classing  all  work  of  the  baroque  period  as  unworthy 
of  study,  worthy  indeed  of  no  more  than  its  clinging 
nickname. 

The  primary  and  distinctive  interest  of  Lecce,  then, 
is  its  possession  of  a  more  representative  and  pictur- 
esque collection  of  baroque  buildings  than  any  other 
town  in  Italy,  in  such  quantity  that  it  forms,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  a  baroque  city. 

Yet,  although  its  chief  claim  lies  in  an  artistic  and 
historic  direction,  though  the  second  place  may  be 
given  to  other  periods  of  history  and  architecture 
from  a  comparative  point  of  view,  Lecce  has  an  envi- 
able superiority  over  most  other  cities  of  Southern 
Italy  in  its  present-day  charm  of  cleanliness  and 
brightness,  its  air  of  prosperity  without  vulgarity, 
in  the  refinement  and  culture  of  its  inhabitants.  Dirt 
and  ruin,  clamour  and  importunity,  such  are  the 
unpleasant  attributes  of  almost  any  tour  in  the  beauti- 
ful provinces  south  of  Naples — provinces  so  note- 
worthy for  scenery  and  for  historic  associations. 

Lying    completely     outside    the    beaten    track     of 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  17 

travellers,  accessible  as  it  is  nevertheless,  it  has 
always  been  a  city  with  a  place  of  its  own  to  fill, 
and  it  has  never  ceased  to  fill  that  place  with  dignity. 
Dependent  on  no  exacting  trade  for  its  maintenance — 
least  of  all  on  that  profitable  fleecing  of  tourists  which 
is  one  of  Italy's  weakest  points — and  secure  in  its 
sense  of  being  the  administrative  centre  for  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  provinces  in  Italy,  Lecce  offers  to  a 
jaded  voyager  a  delightful  mixture  of  beauty  and 
cheerfulness,  of  courtesy  and  content. 

The  natural  temptation  of  a  reader  is  to  retort  that 
Italy  is  overrun  with  tourists,  and  that  in  these  days 
of  Cook's  tickets  no  city  can  have  survived  the  English 
— perhaps  one  should  say  Anglo-American — invasion  ; 
in  fine,  that  a  city  which  is  unknown  cannot  nowadays 
be  worth  knowing,  still  less  worthy  to  occupy  so 
much  paper  and  to  waste  so  much  of  his  (the  reader's) 
always  valuable  time. 

Some  few  choice  spirits  have  certainly  recognised 
the  merits  of  Lecce  during  the  past  hundred  years. 

The  Hon.  Richard  Keppel  Craven  visited  the  city  in 
1 82 1,  and  has  recorded  his  impressions  in  a  chapter 
of  his  "Journey  through  the  Provinces  of  Naples."^ 
Most  of  his  historical  facts  are  correct  enough  and  his 
descriptions  accurate.  He  says  the  principal  gate  '^ 
is  "  magnificent  .  .  .  though  in  a  strange  overloaded 
style  of  architecture."  Of  the  climate  he  says  that  it 
is  "  very  unhealthy,  the  town  being  built  on  a  porous 
soil  which  absorbs  damp  in  the  morning  and  emits  it 
again  at  sunset.  Strangers  are  very  subject  to  an 
intense  catarrh  or  cold,  known  as  costipo,  frequently 
attended  by  fever."  Of  this  particular  malady  I  have 
'  See  Bibliography.  *  Porta  di  Napoli. 

2 


i8  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

no  confirmation  by  experience  or  from  the  works  of 
previous  writers. 

Of  English  authors  the  only  one  to  take  Lecce 
seriously  is  Mrs.  Ross,  who  published  her  "  Land  of 
Manfred"  in  1889,'  and  devoted  three  chapters  of  her 
book  to  the  city,  one  of  them  dealing  chiefly  with 
recent  political  movements.  Her  book  is  extremely 
interesting,  her  facts  well-founded,  yet  no  pretence 
is  made  to  being  a  standard  work  of  reference  on  the 
history  and  art  of  Lecce ;  rather  is  it  a  record  of  casual 
impressions  on  a  well-travelled  and  well-read  mind. 
She  agrees  with  Mr.  Craven  as  to  the  civility,  gaiety, 
and  kindness  of  the  people — indeed,  there  seems  to 
be  little  difference  of  opinion  in  this  respect  among 
all  who  have  visited  the  city. 

Mrs.  Ross  visited  Lecce  and  the  other  towns  de- 
scribed in  her  book  with  Italian  friends,  and  it  may 
be  due  partly  to  this  fact  that  she  was  enabled  to  see 
so  much  of  the  life  and  customs  of  the  people.  Here- 
in lies  the  principal  value  of  her  very  bright  and 
readable  book,  though  the  chapter  containing  the 
description  of  her  interview  with  the  old  patriot, 
Castromediano,  has  already  a  historical  value. 

Mr.  Hamilton  Jackson  in  more  recent  years  (1906) 
has  written  his  "  Shores  of  the  Adriatic,"  '  in  which  he 
can  spare  only  a  page  and  a  half  to  display  his  re- 
searches into  the  history  of  Lecce,  researches  which 
suggest  a  hasty  reference  to  Mrs.  Ross's  work,  with 
the  possible  assistance  of  a  guide-book,  rather  than 
any  personal  visit  to  the  place.     He  tells  us  that 

"  The  only  interesting  building  of  the  town  is  the 
Church  of  SS.  Nicola  and  Cataldo,  which  lies  a  little 
outside  the  Porta  di  Napoli," 

*  See  Bibliography. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  19 

English  guide-books  are  more  accurate  but  little 
more  generous,  dismissing  Lecce's  claims  in  half  a 
page,  Murray's  Handbook  venturing  the  eulogistic 
remark  that  it  is  "  the  best  built  and  most  civilised 
town  in  Southern  Italy  " — a  well-deserved  criticism. 

Foreign  writers  have  not  altogether  ignored  the 
city,  and  it  was  Ferdinand  Gregorovius  who  in  his 
"  Nelle  Puglie "  ^  christened  it  "  The  Florence  of 
Apulia" — a  nickname  which  was  joyously  accepted 
by  the  natives,  and  which  they  have  used  ever  since. 

Of  the  fifty  pages  in  this  book  describing  Lecce 
much  is  devoted  to  detailed  criticism,  more  to  com- 
ments on  local  topographers  and  historians,  but  some 
of  his  generalisations  are  original  and  interesting. 
This  for  instance  : 

"  The  Leccese  citizen  can  thus  wander  at  .  will 
through  his  beautiful  town  with  a  feeling  of  patriotic 
pride,  beholding  at  the  angles  of  the  streets  the  names 
of  his  illustrious  forbears  from  Malennius  to  his  own 
day." 

He  also  tells  us  that  as  regards  baroque  art  no  city 
in  Italy  can  compare  with  Lecce.  His  survey  of  the 
city  is  a  just  and  painstaking  one,  for  he  seems  to 
have  consulted  all  the  recognised  sources  for  historical 
data,  and  to  have  used  his  eyes  to  some  purpose  in 
criticising  the  architecture  and  the  habits  of  the 
people. 

Then  we  are  fortunate  in  that  Lecce  has  been 
visited  by  that  most  charming  of  French  critics,  Paul 
Bourget.'  There  is  something  in  the  lightness  and 
grace    of    modern    French    descriptive    writers    that 

'  See  Bibliography,  M.S.B.'s  Translation. 
»  Ibid. 


20  IN   THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

surpasses  the  efforts  of  any  other  nation,  and  in 
recording  his  impressions  of  Lecce  Bourget  is  at  his 
best :  easy,  interesting,  and  just. 

"  If  the  traditional  boot  formed  by  Italy  bears  a 
spur,"  he  writes,  "  the  dear  city  where  1  write  these 
lines  should  verily  occupy  the  place  of  the  rowel. 
I  call  it  dear,  though  I  have  only  seen  it  for  the  first 
time  to-day,  but  it  is  so  seductive,  such  a  precious 
jewel  of  a  town,  and  I  have  conceived  for  it  a  perfect 
rush  of  sympathy  as  one  often  feels  for  things  just  as 
for  persons." 

(So  for  one  man  at  least  Lecce  can  arouse  the 
primitive  passion  of  love,  as  Symons  sets  forth  in 
his  alluring  theory.) 

"This  arrival  was  all  the  more  delicious  because 
no  description  in  my  guide-book  had  diminished  the 
effect  by  preparing  me  for  it.  Before  coming  here,  I 
attached  to  the  terms  '  baroque '  and  *  rococo'  no 
other  sense  than  that  of  unpleasing  pretentiousness. 
Lecce  has  shown  me  that  they  can  also  be  synonymous 
with  gay  fancy,  with  playful  elegance,  and  with  happy 
grace." 

After  criticising  in  further  detail  one  or  two  noted 
examples  of  baroque  in  the  city  he  proceeds : 

"  This  capital  of  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  is  a  Neapolitan 
city  of  the  late  seventeenth  century,  standing  intact 
with  all  sorts  of  examples,  due  in  the  first  instance  to 
architects  of  Charles  the  Fifth's  days,  and  then  to  those 
of  the  later  disciples  of  the  Renaissance.  It  forms  a 
fitting  counterpart  of  Siena,  and  typifies  in  its  rich 
beauty  all  that  civilisation  of  gaiety,  gallantry,  and 
sensuality,  just  as  the  other  seems  to  harbour  within 
its  palace  walls  the  severe  and  heroic  civilisation  of 
the  Tuscan  Middle  Ages.     Here  one  dreams  of  light 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


p.  20] 


3.       IN    PIAZZA    S.    ORONZO,    LECCE 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  21 

music,  of  masquerades,  of  voluptuous  and  easy  feasts, 
of  a  happy  and  Italianised  Spain.  .  .  .  Yet  this 
baroque  is  not  simply  a  marvel  of  impetuosity  and 
imagination.  An  indescribable  delicacy  is  mixed  with 
it  which  betrays  its  ancient  Hellenic  origin.  In  this 
province,  scattered  with  villages  where  Greek  still  is 
spoken,  something  of  the  old  spirit  seems  to  have  left 
its  mark  everywhere.  The  airs  which  the  children 
sing  still  have  the  long-drawn  gravity  of  the  melopeia, 
very  distinct  from  the  gay  melodies  of  Naples.  The 
natives  all  have  a  sobriety  of  gesture  which  is  in 
contrast  to  the  neighbouring  lands  of  the  burning 
South." 

These  scanty  quotations  represent  the  chief  "  travel- 
literature,"  as  it  is  now  popularly  known,  existing  in 
regard  to  Lecce.  Of  actual  historical  works  relating 
to  the  city  there  are  of  course  a  number  in  Italian, 
but  no  standard  history  of  the  city  has  ever  been 
compiled,  and  the  published  volumes  and  pamphlets 
— of  which  a  careful  list  will  be  found  in  the  Biblio- 
graphy at  the  end  of  this  book — have  hardly  done 
justice  to  it,  viewed  from  its  most  important  aspect, 
as  a  gallery  of  baroque. 

During  the  past  fifty  years  three  local  savants  have 
carried  out  valuable  researches  into  Lecce  records 
and  archaeology — and  it  is  from  their  writings  that 
much  of  my  material  has  been  gathered— the  Pro- 
fessors L.  G.  de  Simone  '  and  Cosimo  de  Giorgi,  and 
the  old  patriot  Duke,  Sigismondo  Castromediano. 


^  Luigi  Giuseppe  Oronzo  Mariano  Raffaele  Francesco  Fortunato 
Felice  de  Simone  was  born  and  educated  in  Lecce,  graduating  in  law 
at  the  University  of  Naples  in  i860,  and  three  years  later  became  a  part 
of  the  kingdom's  legal  machinery.  By  some  remarkable  mischance  he 
escaped  being  added  to  the  enormous  number  of  cheap  Italian  titles, 
though   in    1880   he  was   created  Vice-President  of  the   Tribunale   di 


22  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Enough  has  now  been  said  to  explain  the  need  for 
a  thorough  description  of  Lecce,  and  to  demonstrate 
the  universal  ignorance  in  regard  to  it.  Even  to  those 
Englishmen  who  write  of  Italy  for  their  daily  bread 
the  very  name  of  the  town  is  new. 

How  seldom  a  tourist's  foot  is  found  in  its  bright 
streets  is  shown  by  the  citizens'  surmises  as  to  his 
nationality.  "French"  or  "German"  is  the  usual 
description  supplied  by  informing  boys  of  the  new 
arrival,  "Spaniard"  on  occasion;  "  Englishman  "  never 
seems  to  enter  their  heads.  At  the  local  museum  only 
one  English  and  one  American  name  appears  in  the 
visitors'  book  for  the  past  few  years.  Yet  Brindisi  is 
only  twenty-four  miles  away,  and  even  at  far  Otranto 
there  was  until  recently  a  resident  Englishman  in 
charge  of  the  telegraph  office  to  the  East. 

Lecce  has  not  always  borne  the  same  name.  The 
Cretans,  or  whoever  were  the  first  settlers,  probably 
christened  it  "  Lycia,"  and  under  the  Romans  it  was 
known  as  "  Lupae,"  "  Lupiae,"  or  "  Lypia."  There- 
after it  became  "  Lycea,"  "  Leccio  "  (see  p.  53),  and 
finally  "  Lecce."  To  this  already  long  list  Galateus, 
writing  in  the  sixteenth  century,  adds  the  following : 
"  Lupias,"  "  Lypias,"  "  Sopoas,"  "  Lupium,"  "  Lypiam," 
"Luspiam,"  "Aletium,"  "Licium,"  "Lictium,"  "Liceam." 

Perhaps  the  first  consideration  after  the  actual  name 
of  a  town  is  the  reason  which  prompted  its  foundation 

Messina.  He  lived  most  of  his  life  in  the  neighbouring  village  of 
Arnesano,  where  his  house  was  a  museum  of  interesting  local  objects, 
and  died  in  1880.  He  will  always  be  remembered  as  a  most  pains- 
taking historian  of  his  province,  every  branch  of  lore  being  fish  to  his 
net,  and  in  the  bibliography  at  the  end  of  this  book  is  a  list  of  his 
works,  which  shows  the  wide  range  of  his  industry  and  knowledge. 
His  mantle  seems  to  have  fallen  on  Professor  De  Giorgi,  who  has 
charge  of  the  national  monuments  in  the  district. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  23 

on  such  a  site.  In  most  instances  this  problem  is 
easily  solved,  but  at  Lecce  there  is  no  river  flowing 
through  or  round  its  walls,  no  high  elevation  from 
which  it  may  command  the  countryside  as  at  Oria 
hard  by.  The  sea  is  eight  miles  away,  the  water- 
supply  is  scanty,  and,  strangest  of  all,  the  city  is 
exposed  to  an  invader  from  every  side.  Indeed,  it 
almost  seems  as  if  the  convenience  of  an  enemy  had 
been  taken  into  account  in  building  Lecce  in  the 
midst  of  an  open  plain  comparatively  destitute  of 
cover,  with  an  approach  from  two  seas  just  sufficiently 
far  away  to  be  difficult  of  maintenance  and  surveil- 
lance by  the  city  authorities. 

The  only  plausible  theory  which  suggests  itself 
after  a  careful  study  of  classical  maps  is  that  the  site 
of  Lecce  is  approximately  equidistant  from  Brindisi, 
Otranto,  and  Gallipoli,^  and  would  lie  at  the  point 
where  roads  from  these  three  fine  natural  ports 
converge.  Taranto  being  in  very  early  times  the 
principal  city  of  these  parts,  another  settlement 
centrally  placed  would  be  required  for  the  eastern 
half  of  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  The  primary  instinct 
in  founding  an  Italian  town  was  that  of  protection 
from  invasion  or  pillage. 

In  a  large  plain  such  as  that  which  surrounds  Lecce 
some  rendezvous  was  necessary  to  which  the  peasants 
could  repair  on  the  alarm  being  sounded.  In  the 
Middle  Ages  this  idea  was  developed  by  the  building 
of  more  lofty  walls  and  a  campanile,  whence  the  whole 
plain  from  sea  to  sea  could  be  surveyed.  It  may  also 
be  added  that  Lecce  is  free  from  malaria,  whereas  the 
harbour  of  San  Cataldo  on  the  Adriatic— only  eight 

'  Kiepert's  Classical  Atlas,  Berlin,  1 892,  shows  no  road  direct  from 
Gallipoli  to  Lecce.     See  also  reference  to  Pausanias,  p.  50. 


24  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

miles  away — has  been  so  much  afflicted  thereby  that 
until  a  few  years  ago,  when  various  improvements 
were  effected,  it  was  dangerous  to  sleep  there.  Yet 
it  is  hardly  fair  to  advance  this  as  a  solution  of  the 
problem,  since  malaria  did  not  appear,  so  far  as  can  be 
gathered  from  history,  in  Magna  Graecia  until  the 
second  century  B.C.,  whereas  the  Messapian  remains 
at  Lecce  point  to  the  existence  of  an  important  town 
many  centuries  before  this  date. 

All  things  considered,  it  seems  best  to  account  for 
the  city's  position  purely  on  the  ground  of  its  central 
situation  for  trade  and  traffic  ;  ascribing  some  of  its 
subsequent  prosperity  to  the  decay  of  Brindisi  and 
Otranto,  to  the  misfortunes  suffered  by  these  two 
cities  from  pestilence  and  massacre,  and  to  its  freedom 
from  the  prevalent  scourge  of  malaria. 

No  record  exists  of  any  very  serious  earthquake 
such  as  razed  the  whole  city  of  Brindisi  in  1456. 
Minor  shocks  there  have  been,  but  nothing  on  such  a 
scale  as  has  devastated  the  adjoining  province  of 
Calabria  so  frequently  as  to  make  it  the  most  danger- 
ous part  of  Europe  in  which  to  live. 

It  thus  appears  that  though  no  striking  natural 
advantages  are  apparent  in  Lecce's  situation,  the 
inhabitants  are  protected  from  two  of  the  most  terrible 
afflictions  of  Southern  Italy. 

In  England  it  is  difficult  to  realise  what  it  means  to 
be  without  an  adequate  water-supply,  and  a  cutting 
from  a  newspaper  ^  gives  a  graphic  picture  of  what  it 
means  to  the  people  of  Apulia  : 

"  A  wail  of  anguish  comes  from  the  vast  southern 
province  of  Apulia,  where  the  population  is  dying  of 

•  Daily  Chronicle,  August  9,  1908. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  25 

the  dreadful  drought.  No  heavy  rains  have  fallen  for 
the  last  eighteen  months,  the  wells  are  empty,  and  the 
olive  groves  and  vineyards  present  a  spectacle  of 
withered  vegetation.     The  wheat  crops  have  failed. 

"The  Tavoliere  district  is  reduced  to  a  squalid  desert, 
while  in  that  of  Bari  fresh  water  costs  more  than  wine. 
Over  those  vast  tracts  of  unwatered  country  no  arti- 
ficial supply  exists.  That  gigantic  undertaking,  the 
Apulian  aqueduct,  so  much  talked  of  and  written  about 
during  the  last  twenty  years,  is  still  far  from  finished, 
nor  in  the  most  optimistic  estimate  will  it  be  available 
for  at  least  another  eight  years."  ^ 

The  rainfall  is  slightly  under  twenty  inches  per 
annum,  but  in  Lecce  is  a  little  higher  than  for  the  rest 
of  Apulia,  owing  to  certain  geographical  conditions. 
Lecce  has  overcome  the  water-supply  problem  by 
sinking  a  well  two  hundred  feet  deep  below  the  porous 
soil  which  absorbs  the  surface  water  so  rapidly,  and 
by  bringing  it  to  the  city  in  an  aqueduct.^  In  many 
places  good  water  may  be  found  at  a  depth  of  from 
thirty  to  forty  feet. 

Yet  the  familiar  sight  of  carts  hawking  water 
through  the  streets  in  large  cans,  and  of  the  water 
trucks  on  the  railways,  show  that  it  is  not  possible  for 
all  men  to  have  their  own  deep  well,  and  that  in  many 
homes  round  Lecce  water  is  one  of  the  luxuries  of 
life. 

To  be  precise,  Lecce  lies  170  feet  above  sea  level 
and  seven  and  a  half  miles  from  the  Adriatic.  Its 
population  is  about  33,000,^  and  the  Terra  d' Otranto 
is  so  covered  with  white  villages  that  it  is  one  of  the 

'  I  was  in  Lecce  for  a  short  time  early  in  April  1907,  and  can  vouch 
for  four  days'  heavy  and  practically  continuous  rain. 
'  "  La  Provincia  di  Lecce  "  by  Siro  Corti,  pp.  10  and  20. 
'  Baedeker  1903,  32,029.     Siro  Corti  1907,  32,687. 


26  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

most  populous  parts  of  Italy.  As  the  residence  of  a 
prefect,  the  seat  of  a  bishop  and  of  courts  of  justice, 
it  has  an  important  official  position. 

As  has  already  been  noted,  the  city  depends  upon 
this  importance  as  an  administrative  and  educational 
centre,  rather  than  upon  any  particular  trade. 

Education  has  not  always  been  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  the  Church  up  to  recent  times,  indeed  the  power  of 
the  Church  in  Lecce  was  at  its  greatest  during  the 
seventeenth  century,^  and  it  was  then  that  many 
municipal  institutions  came  under  its  rule.  To-day  one 
feels  the  aggressive  strength  of  Catholicism  in  the 
city,  for  there  are  no  fewer  than  thirty-four  conventual 
and  monastic  institutions  within  its  walls.  Italian  law 
nominally  forbids  such  progress  as  has  been  made  in 
this  direction  even  during  the  past  few  years,  but 
an  Italian  officer,  himself  a  good  Catholic,  tells  me 
how  evasion  is  possible.  A  cleric  nowadays  takes  a 
house  in  his  own  name,  not  registering  it  as  a  sacred 
institution  in  any  way,  and  then  introduces  monks, 
nuns,  or  children  as  he  wishes.  Thus  processions  of 
long-robed  figures  are  constantly  to  be  seen  in  the 
Lecce  streets,  troops  of  little  boys  or  girls,  with  perhaps 
a  Father  or  Sister  in  charge,  passing  to  some  church  ; 
and  herein  lies  the  subtle  power  of  Rome. 

On  the  other  hand,  Lecce  is  the  chief  city  for  a  very 
large  area  in  matters  scholastic,  and  draws  its  students 
from  fifty  miles  aw^ay.  The  principal  institution  is 
the  Liceo  Ginnasiale  e  Convitto  Palmieri  with  the 
Scarambone  technical  school  and  the  provincial 
library  attached.  This  very  fine  block  of  buildings, 
of  the  Doric  order,  lies  in  the  Piazzetta  degli  Studi, 
and    is   grouped   round    several   quadrangles.      It   is 

'  For  notes  on  early  schools  see  pp.  176-7. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  27 

difficult  to  compare  such  a  college  very  accurately 
with  any  English  equivalent.  Perhaps  the  nearest 
type  is  one  of  the  newer  English  Universities,  draw- 
ing its  students  from  a  local  area,  a  sort  of  Territorial 
University,  and  admitting  them  a  year  younger  than 
is  the  custom  at  Oxford  or  Cambridge,  where  an 
undergraduate  of  seventeen  is  an  exception.  The 
inclusion  of  the  Technical  School,  too,  is  a  step  to 
which  our  older  universities  do  not  take  kindly, 
though  modern  tendencies  are  all  in  that  direction. 

The  library  is  large,  bright,  and  well-lit.  The 
stock  of  books  appears  to  be  extensive,  well-arranged, 
and  easy  of  access. 

In  1885  was  founded  the  O.  G.  Costa  Technical 
Institute,  which  has  faculties  of  land-surveying,  book- 
keeping, mathematics,  and  physics. 

There  are  also  normal  and  elementary  schools  for 
both  boys  and  girls,  large  and  modern  buildings ;  and 
two  miles  south  of  the  city  is  a  Royal  School  of 
Agriculture. 

It  is  ridiculous  to  think  of  Lecce  being  indifferent 
to  the  doings  of  learned  folk  outside  Italy  simply 
on  account  of  its  remoteness.  In  Italy  one  is  ac- 
customed to  find  few  bookshops  where  literature  of 
any  value  may  be  bought,  save  in  the  larger  towns. 
In  Lecce  there  are  not  less  than  half  a  dozen  good 
booksellers,  a  number  which  will  compare  favourably 
with  English  towns  of  the  same  size.  Yet  it  is  rather 
the  quality  of  their  wares  that  attracts  attention.  You 
may  buy  the  writings  of  Conan  Doyle,  of  H.  G.  Wells, 
or  of  Oscar  Wilde  in  Italian  if  you  wish ;  you  may 
fly  higher,  into  the  regions  of  philosophy,  and  taste 
of  Huxley  or  Darwin.  French,  German,  Latin,  and 
Greek  classics  are  here,  in  the  original  or  translated ; 


28  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

books  on  every  branch  of  science  and  art,  cheap 
editions  of  standard  works,  well-illustrated  magazines 
and  reviews  comparing  with  anything  we  have  in 
England.  A  debating-society  exists,  where  questions 
of  European  interest— scientific  and  metaphysical — 
are  discussed,  and  wherever  you  tread  in  this  city 
you  are  impressed  by  an  air  of  culture.  On  the 
occasion  of  my  last  visit  I  read  a  long  review  in  the 
local  paper  of  the  recently  published  book  on  Carlyle 
and  Jane  Welsh  !     Three  newspapers  are  published — 

the  Provincia  di  Lecce,  the  Corriere  Meridionale,  and 

f 

the  Risorgimento — and  many  books  and  pamphlets, 
for  printing  in  Lecce  dates  back  to  the  days  of 
its  infancy  (see  p.  175). 

Of  Lecce  industries  two  at  least  are  interesting  to  a 
stranger.  The  first  is  the  modelling  of  figures  in 
papier-mach6  ("  carta-pesta  ")  for  churches  which  are 
unable  to  afford  the  more  expensive  statues  in  marble. 
These  figures  are  frequently  more  than  lifesize,  and 
when  standing  out  to  dry  in  the  streets  often  surprise 
him  who  comes  upon  them  unawares,  a  little  group 
of  Madonnas  and  saints  frequently  realistic  to  a  degree, 
but  occasionally  given  away  by  an  unfinished  back 
elevation.  *'  It  is  a  queer  sight,"  says  a  lady  who 
has  seen  them,^  "  wandering  through  the  picturesque 
rococo  streets  of  Lecce  to  come  at  times  upon  whole 
groups  of  such  painted  or  half-painted  saints  and 
virgins  standing  out  by  their  '  wild  lone '  by  a  house 
door  or  in  some  piazza  drying  in  the  sunshine." 
Many  of  them  are  of  considerable  merit,  the  work 
of  artists  who  through  no  fault  of  their  own  have  not 
been  fortunate  enough  to  find  employment  as  crafts- 
men in  marble. 

'  Helen  Zimmern,  "  Italy  of  the  Italians,"  pp.  226-7. 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  29 

The  other  important  Lecce  industry  is  the  manu- 
facture of  snuff — "  tobacco  for  the  nose,"  the  Italians 
call  it — which  is  carried  on  by  State  authority  in  the 
large  building  near  the  Porta  di  Rusce.  It  is  recorded 
that  Napoleon  had  a  taste  for  Lecce  snuff,  and  always 
insisted  on  having  it  in  preference  to  any  other. 

Besides  these  two,  there  are  numerous  minor  in- 
dustries, i.e.  factories  for  candles,  carriages,  carts,  ink, 
chocolate,  artificial  flowers,  candied  fruits,  scientific 
instruments,  furniture,  umbrellas,  and  chairs,  lime- 
kilns, brick-kilns,  and  potteries.  Various  food-stuffs 
are  also  made. 

Within  recent  years  the  railways  have  been  extended 
in  the  district.  Through  trains  run  to  Lecce  from 
Milan,  Naples,  and  Rome,  the  station  thus  being  a 
terminus  for  expresses.  Slow  trains  run  from  Lecce 
and  Gallipoli,  connecting  with  the  branch  to  Otranto 
at  Zollino.  In  the  autumn  of  1908  two  new  railways 
were  opened,  from  Lecce  to  Francavilla  via  Novoli, 
and  from  Lecce  to  Nardo  via  Novoli,  thus  greatly 
improving  the  means  of  communication  in  the  Terra 
d'Otranto,  and  opening  up  rich  wine-  and  oil-producing 
districts.  The  station  at  Lecce  is  a  large  one,  with 
a  garden  and  a  fair  buffet.  An  electric  tramway  runs 
from  the  principal  piazza  to  the  coast  at  San  Cataldo, 
where  there  is  a  bathing-station  much  patronised  in 
the  summer. 

Electricity,  as  in  other  parts  of  Italy,  is  largely 
employed  for  lighting  the  streets  and  the  principal 
houses. 

An  innovation  in  the  shape  of  a  motor-bus  was 
introduced  a  short  time  ago  for  conveying  the  mails 
southwards  from  Lecce  to  the  distant  villages  of  the 
"  Capo,"  as  the  district  near  Cape  S.  Maria  di  Leuca 


30  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

is  called.  However,  the  poor  dumb  creature  was 
overdriven  beyond  its  powers,  gave  way  under  the 
strain,  and  is  now  replaced  by  the  previous  system 
of  post-carts  from  Maglie  station  on  the  Otranto  line  : 
another  triumph  for  the  horse!  All  that  remains  of 
the  Lecce  motor-bus  service  is  a  picture  postcard, 
serving  to  recall  the  splendours  of  1907. 

A  visitor  to  the  city  will  find  more  than  one  hotel 
with  reasonable  comforts  at  a  moderate  price.  One 
house  has  good  baths,  and  the  cooking,  though  of 
course  strictly  Italian,  is  in  no  way  despicable.  This 
volume  is  not  a  guide-book,  and  hence  cannot  include 
hotel  advertisements  or  tariff,  but  to  English  tastes 
the  **  Patria"  or  the  "  Risorgimento  "  would  afford  the 
best  satisfaction  of  the  many  alberghi  in  the  city. 

Every  Italian  city  has  its  gardens,  and  many  possess 
a  museum.  The  Lecce  gardens  are  known  as  the 
Villa  Garibaldi,  and  are  to  be  found  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Prefettura,  where  the  circuit  of  the  old  city 
walls  was  destroyed,  in  making  improvements,  as 
far  as  the  Castle.  They  are  in  no  way  remarkable, 
but  provide  a  pleasant  place  to  sit  and  dream,  or  on 
certain  days  to  listen  to  the  military  band  which 
comes  from  the  barracks  to  play.  A  little  pavilion  in 
the  centre  has  a  collection  of  rare  palms  and  other 
tropical  plants. 

A  ring  of  statues  of  Lecce  worthies  surrounds  the 
bandstand,  the  work  of  the  sculptor  Maccagnani, 
placed  there  by  the  exertions  of  Professor  De  Giorgi. 
They  are  of  no  great  merit,  and  in  many  cases  are 
idealised  and  even  imaginary  portraits. 

In  the  beautiful  gardens  attached  to  the  houses  in 
the  viali  and  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  a  spring 
visitor   will   find   a   blaze   of  colour — roses,    pansies, 


AN    UNKNOWN    CITY  31 

geraniums,  and  a  wealth  of  pink  blossom,  while  in 
the  fields  south  of  Lecce  I  have  gathered  fumitory, 
anemones,  flax,  grape  hyacinths,  and  many  flowers 
which  were  strange  to  me. 

The  Museum  in  the  Prefettura  at  Lecce  serves  the 
whole  of  the  Province.  It  bears  the  name  of 
"  Castromediano,"  the  old  duke  who  spent  the  de- 
clining years  of  his  life  in  its  formation  and  arrange- 
ment,^ and  who  compiled  the  exhaustive  and  elaborate 
manuscript  inventory  of  its  contents.  Among  its 
treasures  are  some  relics  of  his  imprisonment  for  his 
country's  cause.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  I  have 
described  most  of  the  objects  in  the  Museum  at  the 
close  of  each  historical  period  which  they  illustrate. 
The  collection  may  be  roughly  classified  as  follows. 
The  first  two  rooms  contain  some  thirty  paintings 
varying  in  merit,  some  of  them  early  (see  p.  269), 
others  of  the  late  Neapolitan  school  (see  p.  262).  In 
cases  are  a  great  number  of  coins,  but  these  are  not 
all  local.  The  next  room  (Sala  III.)  has  a  fine  set 
of  earthenware  found  in  different  parts  of  Apulia, 
also  a  case  of  faience,  while  the  Messapian  inscriptions 
and  some  more  mediaeval  objects  are  in  Sala  IV. 
(see  p.  38). 

Except  for  bronze  and  flint  objects,  etc.,  the  whole 
of  the  last  three  rooms  (V.,  VI.,  and  VII.)  are  filled  by 
a  magnificent  collection  of  red  and  black  Greek  vases 
of  the  finest  period  (see  p.  47).  This  Museum  has 
been  arranged  with  great  discrimination,  and  forms  a 
dignified  contrast  to  the  one  at  Gallipoli  (see  p.  317). 
Indeed,  as  illustrating  the  Greek  period  it  has  few 
rivals. 

But  it  is  not  in  a  museum,  however  worthy,  that 
'  See  p.  234. 


32  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

one  seeks  for  the  true  characteristics  of  a  city.  It 
is  rather  in  the  streets  of  the  place  or  in  its  noisy 
piazza.  Lecce  is  of  regular  shape  in  plan  ^  and  is 
surrounded  by  the  old  walls,  save  where  they  have 
been  destroyed  from  the  Prefettura  to  the  Castello, 
in  the  course  of  improvement.  The  streets  are  for 
the  most  part  narrow  within  this  circuit,  though  not 
so  narrow  as  those  of  Soleto  and  many  other  Italian 
towns.  They  are  all  paved  with  large  stones  and 
are  laid  to  fall  towards  the  centre,  so  that  a  channel  is 
formed  for  the  water  to  run  down  to  a  gulley.  These 
gulleys,  however,  only  occur  at  such  rare  intervals 
that  the  stream  becomes  more  than  an  easy  jump, 
and  so  at  strategic  points  (such  as  that  adjoining  the 
Post  Office)  a  little  portable  bridge  on  wheels  is 
placed  which  spans  the  flood.  In  the  new  quarters 
outside  the  walls  the  streets  are  of  ample  width  but 
unpaved.  A  circuit  of  boulevards,  the  *'  viali,"  com- 
pletely surrounds  the  walls,  and  lines  of  gay  villas — 
some  in  a  sort  of  bastard  Saracen  style,  others  in 
the  modern  Italian  manner — lie  in  small  but  brilliant 
gardens.  The  three  principal  gates  are  described 
(PP-  355-6)  in  the  appendix  of  Lecce  buildings,  and 
some  account  of  the  Castello  also  (p.  353). 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  Lecce  is  of  some 
importance  as  a  military  centre,  and  here  territorial 
forces  for  the  province  would  be  mobilised  in  case 
of  invasion.  The  principal  barracks  is  the  Castello, 
but  there  are  others,  and  ex-convents  have  been 
utilised  for  this  purpose.  Some  idea  is  given  in 
Chapter  VIII.  of  the  general  effect  of  the  city  and 
its  architecture,  and  the  quotation  from  M.  Bourget 
is  the  best  description  one  could  desire. 

'  For  plan  of  Lecce  see  end  of  book. 


4-       A    LECCE    yiAIJi 


5.       THE    GARDENS,    LECCE 


P-  32] 


CHAPTER   II 

LECCE   UP   TO    NORMAN   TIMES 

(to  a.d.  1019) 

The  Beginnings  of  Lecce 

It  is  very  difficult,  in  fact  almost  impossible,  to  say 
when  history  begins  and  where  we  take  leave  of 
legendary  lore.  It  is  almost  equally  difficult  to  fix 
any  date  for  the  earliest  remains  of  the  human  race 
such-  as  confront  us  far  below  the  present  level  of 
the  ground  in  so  ancient  a  city  as  Lecce. 

For  tradition  connects  some  of  the  heroes  of  mytho- 
logy with  the  place,  heroes  whose  lives  are  told  to 
us  by  Homer  and  Virgil  in  their  great  epics  of  the 
Trojan  War — Idomeneus,  for  instance,  who  was  king 
of  Crete,  son  of  Deucalion,  and  grandson  of  Minos  II. 
He  was  one  of  Helen's  numerous  suitors,  and  had 
often  visited  Menelaus's  palace  at  Troy.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  led  the  Cretan  troops  to  the  siege 
of  Troy,  and  also  a  fleet  which  did  great  things, 
covering  itself  with  glory.  When  the  town  fell 
Idomeneus,  laden  with  booty,  set  back  for  Crete,  but 
on  the  way  was  caught  in  a  storm  so  violent  that 
he  despaired  of  his  ships  ever  seeing  port  again. 
In  an  agony  of  fear  he  vowed  to  Neptune,  the  sea- 

33  3 


34  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

god,  that  the  first  object  which  should  meet  his  eyes 
on  reaching  his  kingdom  should  be  sacrificed  as  a 
thank-offering  for  his  safety.  The  cowed  sailors 
around  him,  the  hardy  troops  who  had  just  earned 
their  laurels  at  Troy  town,  stood  in  silent  groups 
waiting  for  some  reply  to  their  sovereign's  prayer. 
The  wind  abated,  the  waves  became  less  dangerous, 
and  the  fleet  approached  the  harbour  of  his  native 
city.  Those  who  had  heard  the  vow  stood  appre- 
hensive on  the  deck  to  see  who  would  be  the  luck- 
less victim,  and  as  they  drew  sufficiently  near  the 
shore  to  be  able  to  distinguish  faces  the  eager  figure 
of  the  king's  own  son,  anxiously  awaiting  his  royal 
parent's  arrival,  was  descried.  The  tidings  of  the 
fleet's  approach  had  only  just  reached  the  capital, 
and  he  was  the  first  to  greet  the  conquerors.  What 
next  happened  is  doubtful,  if  anything  can  be  other- 
wise than  doubtful  in  fable.  Some  tell  us  that  the 
boy  was  sacrificed  to  Neptune,  a  blind  religious 
zeal  triumphing  over  natural  instincts.  Others  have 
it  that  the  populace  rose  as  one  man  in  the  lad's 
defence,  tearing  him  from  the  arms  of  his  brutal 
parent.  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  are  assured  that  the 
Cretans,  horrified  at  this  deed  of  inhumanity,  revolted, 
drove  the  king  from  his  island,  and  forced  him  to 
betake  himself  to  the  shores  of  what  is  now  the 
Terra  d'  Otranto.  Firstly  he  made  war  on  the  Salen- 
tines,  afterwards  meeting  King  Malennius,  another 
shadowy  personage.  The  latter  is  said  to  have 
founded  both  Lecce  and  Rhudiae,  or  Rusce,  adjoining. 
His  court  may  have  been  at  one  or  other  of  the 
cities ;  at  any  rate,  it  was  at  his  court  that  his 
daughter  became  acquainted  with  the  banished  king, 
and  bestowed  on  him  her  prehistoric   hand.      They 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  35 

seem  to  have  married  and  lived  happily  ever  after- 
wards in  the  district,  encouraged  letters  and  philo- 
sophy in  the  person  of  Ferecides  Sirus,  who  first 
demonstrated  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  helped 
him  to  found  a  school  for  its  cult  in  the  city  of  Lecce 
itself.  Malennius  is  in  many  ways  an  interesting 
figure  too.  He  was  son  of  Daunus,  or  Dasumnus, 
and  a  forebear  of  the  famous  Marcus  Aurelius 
Antoninus  Verus. 

Idomeneus  and  Euippa  reigned  in  their  new  royal 
city,  causing  the  laws  of  Minos  I.  (the  former's  great- 
great-grandfather)  to  be  faithfully  observed  ;  and  so 
beloved  was  this  king  by  his  subjects  that  at  his 
death  he  received  all  the  honours  due  to  a  hero's 
memory. 

So  runs  the  old  tale,  which  best  suits  our  purpose 
here,  but  others  there  are  sadly  at  variance.  Diodorus 
Siculus,  for  instance,  makes  no  mention  of  Idomeneus's 
vow,  says  that  after  the  siege  of  Troy  he  returned 
happily  to  his  own  dominions,  and  died  at  last,  to  be 
honoured  with  a  magnificent  tomb  in  his  city  of 
Knossos.  So  revered  was  his  memory  that  the 
Cretans  when  about  to  engage  in  battle  invoked  his 
aid  as  that  of  a  god.  Another  horrible  story  by  a 
Greek  writer  tells  us  that  the  King  before  he  set 
out  for  Troy  left  one  Leuco  in  charge  of  his  territory, 
promising  him  as  reward  the  hand  of  his  daughter 
Clisitera.  Of  her  we  know  nothing,  nor  whether 
Leuco  had  any  more  justification  than  that  of  evil 
influence  when  he  murdered  her  and  Medea  her 
mother  shortly  afterwards,  setting  himself  up  on 
Idomeneus's  throne  instead.  It  was  then  that  the 
unfortunate  monarch  returned  to  find  his  throne 
usurped,    his     hearth     defiled     with    the     blood     of 


36  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

all  that  he  loved,  and  seeking  a  sanctuary  from 
sorrow : 

.  .  .  Salentinos  obsedit  milite  campos. 

Which  of  these  stories  one  is  to  believe  matters  little. 
All  of  them  help  to  illuminate  the  dim  abyss  when 
History  was  not — far  more  than  a  few  doubtful 
arrowheads  and  a  handful  of  potsherds.  To  him 
who  looks  on  the  bold  statues  of  the  Porta  Rusce  at 
Lecce  there  is  something  very  real  in  these  counterfeit 
presentments  of  Idomeneus  and  Euippa,  Malonnius 
and  Daunus,  something  very  much  in  keeping  with 
the  spirit  of  the  place  ;  for  from  this  gate  runs  the 
road  connecting  ancient  Lupiae  with  ancient  Rhudiae, 
the  road  on  which  Idomeneus  may  have  led  his  bride 
to  their  new  royal  city. 

Early  Settlers 

To  turn  from  these  pleasant  fairy-tales  to  the 
colder  actualities  of  fact  is  in  some  respects  a  chilly 
change.  We  can  draw  no  hard-and-fast  line  on  a 
chronological  table  and  say  "Here  is  the  date  of  the 
first-known  settlement  in  Lecce."  We  can  barely 
compare  with  certainty  the  earliest  civilisation  of  the 
district  with  that  of  Crete  in  the  Minoan  period,  a 
comparison  suggested  by  the  legends  related  above. 
It  would  be  an  enthralling  study,  but  one  demanding 
exceptional  knowledge,  such  as  only  two  or  three 
men  have  even  to-day,  when  the  subject  is  arousing 
much  attention.  It  is,  however,  generally  recognised 
that  there  was  much  intercourse  between  Crete  and 
other  Mediterranean  shores  in  very  early  days,  and 
we  may  assume  some  sort  of  connection  in  this  case. 
Traces    of    a   very   early  settlement    are    discernible 


LECCE   UP   TO   NORMAN  TIMES  37 

below  the  Messapian  remains  of  Lecce,  which  in  their 
turn  have  Greek,  Roman,  and  mediaeval  layers  above 
them. 

The  first  dwellers  in  this  region  of  whom  we  have 
any  accurate  record  are  the  large  and  important  tribe 
of  Salentines  {Xakevrivoi),  a  race  who  occupied  all  the 
heel  of  Italy.  They  were  included  in  the  district 
known  to  the  Greeks  as  Japygia,  to  the  Romans  as 
Calabria.  Strabo,  in  describing  the  district  now 
forming  the  province  of  Lecce,  remarks  that  it  is 
variously  known  as  Messapia,  Japygia,  Calabria,  or 
Salentina.  Other  writers,  however,  differentiate 
between  these  names.  In  spite  of  loose  terminology^ 
there  appear  to  have  been  two  distinct  tribes — the 
Calabrians  (known  to  the  Greeks  as  Messapians)  and 
the  Salentines.  Both  were  probably  sprung  from 
the  great  Pelasgic  stock.  Tradition  assigns  to  the 
Salentines  a  Cretan  origin,  from  a  colony  founded 
by  Idomeneus,  as  has  been  already  related.  The 
apparent  extent  of  their  settlements  is  from  Cape 
Santa  Maria  di  Leuca  (the  "  Salentinum  Promon- 
torium ")  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Taranto.  The 
name  is  now  specifically  mentioned  by  the  Greeks 
even  in  wars  with  the  Tarentines,  so  the  Salentines 
were  probably  included  as  Messapians  or  Calabrians. 

The  Messapian  city  of  Lecce  included  a  castle, 
sacred  and  secular  buildings,  and  was  surrounded 
by  a  wall  built  of  dry  blocks  of  stone.  In  their 
tombs  they  have  left  us  the  products  of  their  arts 
and  their  sculpture,  as  well  as  the  names  of  some 
immigrants  in  sepulchral  inscriptions.  Intercourse 
with  Epirus,  Peloponnesus,  and  the  East  was  prob- 
ably considerable  even  at  this  early  date.  Two 
series  of   inscriptions   from   these   tombs   have   been 

328191 


38  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

published  in  recent  years,  fifty  by  Mommsen  in  1850, 
and  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  in  1871  "collected 
by  Cav.  Luigi  Maggiulli  and  by  Duke  Sigismondo 
Castromediano."  With  these  inscriptions  were  found 
various  objects  which  are  for  the  most  part  now  in 
the  provincial  museum  at  Lecce,  though  unfortunately 
some  have  left  the  city.  The  published  inscriptions 
are  all  to  be  found  transcribed  in  the  Library  of  the 
British  Museum,^  by  Duke  Sigismondo  Castromediano 
and  Cav.  Luigi  Maggiulli ;  and  most  of  them  are 
collected  in  Sala  IV.  of  the  provincial  museum  at 
Lecce  (see  p.  31). 

For  many  years  there  was  great  doubt  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  various  underground  chambers  and 
passages  under  the  city,  and  although  Messapian 
and  Greek  relics  still  remain,  it  is  now  certain  that 
the  great  amphitheatre  under  the  Piazza  S.  Oronzo 
(see  p.  'j'j')  solves  the  problem.  It  is  still  believed 
that  an  underground  passage  connects  Lecce  with 
Rusce.  Galateus  wrote  of  the  excavations  generally 
in  the  sixteenth  century  as  follows  : 

"  Hanc  urbem  antiquissimam  atque  amplissimam 
fuisse,  quae  sub  terra  sunt  demonstrant  arcus,  cuniculi, 
fornices,  et  vasta  fundamenta  aedificiorum  sed  non 
praepolita.  .  .  .  Tota  urbs  super  ruinas  veteris  urbis 
posita  est  et  magna  pars  pensilis  est.  Forum  et  quae 
juxta  sunt  domus,  super  ingentes  arcus  et  testudines 
fundatae  sunt." 

Before  leaving  these  early  settlers  and  passing  into 
the  realms  of  classic  history  at  the  coming  of  the 
Greeks,  it  is  worth  while  recording  the  chief  cities 

'  See  Bibliography  at  end  of  book. 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  39 

of  the  Salentines.  In  Pliny's  list  we  have  Aletium 
(of  which  the  ruins  may  be  seen  near  the  old  church 
of  S.  Maria  della  Lizza,  not  far  from  Gallipoli) ;  Basta 
(now  the  village  of  Vaste,  near  Poggiardo)  ;  Neretum 
(now  Nardo) ;  Uxentum  (now  Ugento  in  Gallipoli 
district) ;  and  Veretum  (now  S.  Maria  di  Vereto 
between  the  villages  of  Salve  and  Ruggiano).  All 
these  places  are  in  the  extreme  south  of  the  peninsula. 
Ptolemy  agrees  with  this  list,  except  that  he  adds 
Rhudiae.  A  little  to  the  north  lay,  it  is  said,  a 
Calabrian  city.  The  place  which  he  calls  Banoto  is 
probably  the  same  as  Pliny's  Basta. 

We  may  probably  add  to  this  list  Callipolis 
(Gallipoli),  Castrum  Minervae  (Castro),  and  perhaps 
Hydruntum  (Otranto),  but  the  last  appears  to  have 
become  very  early  a  Greek  colony.  The  Salentine 
territory  must  have  been  very  extensive.  It  should 
be  understood  that  Pliny's  list  does  not  necessarily 
include  all  the  cities  existing  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto, 
but  only  those  inhabited  by  Salentines  as  opposed 
to  Calabrians.  It  is,  however,  unlikely  that  the 
Calabrians  had  many  settlements  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  province.  Of  these  tribes  we  shall  hear 
again,  both  during  the  Greek  and  Roman  periods, 
but  it  is  now  time  to  attempt  a  survey  of  the  district 
during  its  wonderful  era  of  prosperity  as  part  of 
Magna  Graecia,  the  most  ancient  example  of  successful 
colonial  expansion. 

The  Greeks 

(800 — 272    B.C.) 

The  colonisation  of  Southern  Italy  by  the  Greeks 
^^Yf  generally  speaking,  be  chronologically  placed  in 


40  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  eighth  century  B.C.,  the  era  during  which  Sparta 
held  the  supremacy  in  Peloponnesus.  Reasons  for 
these  migrations  are  not  hard  to  seek.  The  spirit 
in  which  the  new  oligarchies  governed  the  various 
states  was  such  that  life  became  insupportable  to  all 
men  of  independence  and  self-respect,  whatever  their 
rank  in  life.  It  was  this  factor,  rather  than  any  over- 
crowding problem  such  as  confronts  Germany  to-day, 
that  drove  so  many  immigrants  forth  from  every 
quarter  of  Greece  in  organised  bands  to  seek  their 
fortune  abroad.  In  some  respects  their  ventures  may 
be  likened  to  that  of  the  men  of  the  Mayflower.  But 
there  are  great  points  of  difference.  The  Greeks 
were  not  wholly  ignorant  of  what  lay  before  them. 
Their  knowledge  of  navigation  was  rapidly  improving, 
their  acquaintance  with  the  Mediterranean  shores 
was  exhaustive  and  of  long  standing.  They  went 
forth  in  no  spirit  of  blind  trust  on  their  quest,  but 
knew  that  the  coasts  on  which  they  settled  were 
fertile  as  those  of  their  beloved  Greece.  They  did  not 
even  incur  the  same  risks  as  fell  to  their  lot  in  colonising 
the  distant  lands  north  of  the  Euxine,  for  it  is  not 
a  far  cry  from  Epirus  to  the  heel  of  Italy.  More- 
over, the  native  races  in  possession  were  of  Pelasgic 
origin,  and  thus  to  some  extent  likely  to  be  friendly 
towards  the  pioneers  of  the  later  effort.  The  new- 
comers were  clever  and  energetic ;  indeed  it  is  to 
them  that  the  district  owes  much  of  its  later  great- 
ness, the  Greek  love  of  art  and  letters  being  inherited 
by  those  who  followed  them. 

There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  as  to  which  of  the 
colonies  was  first  established.  Cumae,  on  the  Bay 
of  Naples,  was  so  much  in  the  van  of  progress  that 
some  authorities  place  its  foundation  in  the  eleventh 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  41 

century  b.c,  and  all  agree  that  it  was  flourishing 
about  800  B.C.  However,  it  does  not  concern  us  here, 
for  with  its  dependencies  Neapolis  and  Dicearchia 
it  remained  isolated  from  the  later  settlements  round 
the  Ionian  Sea.  Of  these  the  majority  were  not  so 
ancient  as  the  towns  in  Sicily,  and  for  the  most 
part  were  founded  in  the  fifty  years  between  735 
and  685  B.C.  No  good  records  exist  describing  their 
beginning,  no  thrilling  Thucydides  to  tell  their  story, 
but  much  is  known  of  their  subsequent  progress. 

Lupiae,  as  Lecce  was  called  in  these  days,  lay  close 
to  the  exposed  coast  of  the  Adriatic,  where  many 
of  the  immigrant  bands  from  Northern  Greece  were 
constantly  disembarking.  Beyond  the  remains  in 
the  Museum  we  have  scanty  information  connecting 
it  with  the  more  important  cities  farther  south  and 
west,  so  may  for  the  present  regard  it  as  being  in 
the  sphere  of  Tarentine  influence.  It  is  unfortunate 
that  this  view  must  be  taken,  and  it  would  have 
been  infinitely  preferable  could  the  thread  of  its 
municipal  story  have  been  unravelled  from  that  of 
so  many  other  centres,  but  the  epoch  is  so  distant 
that  the  chance  of  picturing  the  place  at  the  time 
would  have  been  very  remote. 

Tarentum  was  a  colony  of  Sparta,  founded  708  B.C., 
after  the  first  Messenic  war.  Sybaris  and  Croton, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  gulf,  had  been  inaugurated 
a  few  years  earlier  by  Achaians,  who,  although  by 
no  means  the  most  important  tribe  in  the  formation 
of  Greece,  had  thus  established  two  of  the  most 
important  cities  of  Magna  Graecia.  Race  antipathy 
soon  produced  a  spirit  of  rivalry  between  the  Achaians 
and  Tarentum,  and  as  a  check  to  Tarentine  usurpa- 
tion   Sybaris    and    Croton    founded    the    colony    of 


42  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

Metapontum  on  the  Tarentine  frontier.  So  rapidly 
did  the  latest  settlement  increase  that  soon  it  was 
the  third  city  of  all  these  mushroom  growths.  The 
mother-towns  across  the  sea  were  soon  left  behind 
in  the  race,  and  Sybaris  during  the  seventh  and  sixth 
centuries  b.c.  became  the  largest  Greek  city  in  the 
world.  The  new  colonists  owed  their  wealth,  says 
a  recent  writer, 

"  which  they  so  soon  accumulated,  to  the  raw 
produce  of  the  virgin  lands  they  occupied,  rather 
than  to  commercial  or  manufacturing  activity.  The 
corn  of  Metapontum,  the  wool  of  the  flocks  of  Sybaris, 
the  timber  and  pitch  of  Croton,  the  oil  of  Acragas, 
the  horses  of  Syracuse,  the  fisheries  of  Tarentum, 
became  famous  throughout  the  Greek  world  for  the 
fortunes  that  they  bred — fortunes  so  large  that  the 
millionaires  of  the  West  surpassed  the  wildest  dreams 
of  the  plutocratic  oligarchs  of  the  mother-country." 

The  natives  flocked  into  the  new  cities  and  joined 
in  the  boom. 

A  great  struggle  for  supremacy  followed  on  all 
this  prosperity.  The  Achaian  league  suffered  re- 
verses at  the  hands  of  the  lonians  of  Siris,  and  of 
the  men  of  Locris  and  Reggio.  How  astounding 
had  been  their  progress  hitherto  may  be  gathered 
from  two  facts — that  Croton  put  an  army  of  120,000 
men  into  the  field  on  one  occasion,  and  that  the  rule 
of  Sybaris  was  acknowledged  not  only  by  twenty- 
five  tributary  towns,  but  even  by  four  tribes  of  the 
neighbouring  Enotrii.  Before  long  these  two  cities 
were  brought  into  antagonism  by  the  influence  of 
Pythagoras,  who  had  settled  in  the  former  in  530  b.c. 
and  founded  his  celebrated  school  of  philosophy  there. 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  43 

So  widespread  was  his  power  in  contemporary 
politics  that  even  distant  Tarentum  felt  his  sway. 
After  striving  to  raise  Croton  from  the  effeminate 
state  which  had  followed  its  defeat  in  battle,  he  fell 
out  with  some  of  its  most  wealthy  citizens,  and  was 
driven  out  with  all  his  followers.  Then  came  a  great 
battle  between  Croton  and  Sybaris,  in  which  the 
latter,  with  300,000  men,  was  defeated  by  only  a  third 
of  that  number.  It  is  these  civil  wars  in  Magna 
Graecia  which  explain  why  its  inhabitants  took  no 
part  in  the  Persian  wars. 

Tarentum  meanwhile  had  another  tale  to  tell. 
Little  concerned  in  the  strife  between  the  cities 
across  the  gulf,  and  unable  to  expand  in  the  direction 
of  Metapontum,  its  inhabitants  had  sedulously  de- 
voted their  energies  to  extension  of  trade,  and  to 
occasional  skirmishes  with  their  barbarian  neighbours. 
Here  among  the  Messapians  and  Japygians  they 
encountered  a  much  fiercer  resistance  than  had  been 
offered  to  the  other  Greek  cities.  For  a  time  they 
were  victorious,  subduing  many  Japygian  cities,  but 
in  473  B.C.  they  were  utterly  routed  in  a  great  battle 
with  such  casualties  that  Herodotus  says  carnage 
like  it  had  never  been  known  in  Greek  history. 
Three  thousand  mercenaries  from  Reggio  perished 
with  the  rest. 

During  the  period  of  the  Peloponnesian  war  events 
in  Southern  Italy  were  but  slightly  affected.  Thurii 
and  Metapontum  indeed  were  induced  to  form  a 
regular  alliance  with  Athens,  but  otherwise  the  cities 
remained  studiously  aloof. 

A  more  serious  matter  was  the  attitude  of  Dionysius, 
the  tyrant  of  Syracuse,  who  had  brought  all  the 
Sicilian  colonies  under  his  yoke,  and  now  strove  to 


44  IN   THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

extend  his  influence  to  the  mainland.  A  league  was 
formed  against  him  in  393  b.c,  but  the  treaty  also 
included  clauses  to  strengthen  the  signatories  against 
a  far  more  terrible  foe.  The  rise  of  Rome  and  the 
displacing  of  tribes  in  Central  Italy  had  driven  the 
Lucani — a  fierce  race  of  the  hardy  Samnite  stock — 
southwards  till  they  reached  the  confines  of  the  rich 
seaboard  colonies  by  the  Ionian  Sea.  Three  years 
after  this  league  was  signed  the  confederates  were 
vanquished  with  great  slaughter,  the  barbarians  spread 
over  the  peninsula,  and  soon  Dionysius  had  to 
abandon  his  policy  of  alliance  with  them  in  order 
to  defend  his  own  possessions.  Marching  east  to 
Tarentum,  the  Lucani  prepared  to  attack  it.  This 
city  was  at  this  period  undoubtedly  the  richest  and 
most  powerful  of  the  cities  of  Magna  Graecia,  but 
its  citizens  were  so  enervated  with  indolence  and 
luxury  that  directly  they  heard  of  the  approach  of 
the  new  and  dreaded  foe  they  threw  in  their  lot  with 
their  old  enemies  the  Messapii,  and  at  the  same  time 
invoked  the  aid  of  Sparta,  their  mother-city.  Archi- 
damus,  king  of  Sparta,  welcomed  the  invitation,  and 
came  with  a  considerable  force  to  Italy,  where  he 
seems  to  have  fought  for  many  years,  till  he  was 
defeated  and  slain  in  a  battle  near  Manduria,  a  few 
miles  from  Lecce,  338  b.c.  Six  years  later  the  Taren- 
tines,  still  doubtful  of  their  own  army,  invited  Alex- 
ander of  Epirus  to  their  aid ;  but  little  is  known  of 
the  history  of  his  expedition.  On  the  whole,  his 
operations  were  successful :  encouragement  was  given 
to  the  Greek  cities,  and  the  Lucani  were  checked 
for  a  time.  Lupiae  must  have  been  in  the  thick  of 
these  engagements,  lying  as  it  did  on  the  route 
between  the  ports  of  the  Adriatic  and  Tarentum.     By 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  45 

this  time  it  had  probably  lost  its  Messapian  character 
and  become  Hellenistic.  Fighting  began  again  in 
the  district  only  a  few  years  later ;  Sparta  was  again 
beseeched  for  help,  and  Cleon,  the  king's  uncle, 
approached  Taranto  with  a  large  mercenary  force. 
He,  however,  soon  returned  home,  disgusted  with 
the  rapacity  and  luxury  of  the  allies,  and  leaving 
Italy  in  a  condition  of  universal  discontent. 

Desultory  war  continued  for  a  few  years,  and  then 
came  the  end  of  the  Greek  period  for  Taranto  and 
for  most  of  Magna  Graecia.  The  eagles  of  Rome 
had  made  their  first  appearance  on  these  shores. 
The  Thurii,  hard-pressed  by  the  Lucani,  had  obtained 
the  services  of  the  new  warriors,  who  proved  worthy 
of  their  hire.  But  this  was  not  the  end  of  their  ex- 
ploits. They  turned  their  arms  against  wealthy 
Tarentum  without  delay.  In  vain  the  beleaguered 
city  invoked  the  aid  of  Pyrrhus  of  Epirus,  the  Lucani, 
and  those  eternal  foes  of  Rome,  the  Samnites.  Even 
this  strong  combination  was  of  no  avail  against  the 
stern  legionaries  from  the  Seven  Hills,  and  in  272  B.C. 
Tarentum,  with  all  its  subject  towns,  of  which  Lupiae 
would  be  one,  came  under  the  Roman  yoke.  Other 
cities  fell  before  the  consuls,  and  so  the  whole  future 
of  the  district  was  changed. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  during  these  long  years 
of  war — not  with  Rome  alone,  but  with  the  native 
races  too — Magna  Grsecia  must  have  suffered  terribly. 
The  foreign  troops  quartered  within  city  walls  seem 
to  have  surpassed  themselves  in  cruelty  and  extor- 
tion. With  a  few  exceptions,  such  as  Heraclea,  which 
submitted  readily  to  Rome,  and  thus  obtained  its 
favour,  these  great  cities  had  now  entered  on  their 
last  phase.      Their  death-knell  was   sounded   during 


46  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

the  Second  Punic  War,  when  they  rose  in  rebellion. 
The  Roman  governor  had  probably  been  careless  in 
guarding  his  charge,  and  after  Cannae  they  rose 
almost  unanimously  in  Hannibal's  cause.  Those 
which  were  garrisoned  by  troops  suffered  the  penal- 
ties of  rebellion,  Tarentum  being  one.  It  was 
treated  as  a  conquered  city  and  sacked  without 
mercy,  its  inhabitants  put  to  the  sword  or  sold  into 
slavery. 

The  effects  of  four  centuries  of  Greek  colonisation 
may  still  be  traced  without  difficulty  in  the  Terra 
d'Otranto  to-day.  Not  only  is  the  Greek  type  of 
face  still  common  enough  in  Lecce,  Taranto,  and 
the  district  generally ;  but  in  the  dialect  there  remains 
a  large  proportion  of  Greek  idioms  and  words.  Greek 
was  the  official  language  in  both  clerical  and  civil 
courts  of  law  up  to  the  end  of  the  Middle  Ages  in 
some  towns.  It  is,  of  course,  only  reasonable  at  this 
point  to  remember  that  although  this  early  period 
must  have  been  the  principal  factor  in  Hellenising 
the  district,  intercourse  with  Greece  even  up  to  the 
present  day  has  always  been  of  the  closest,  that 
Albanian  and  Greek  immigration  into  all  these  towns 
occurred  on  several  occasions  in  mediaeval  times, 
and  especially  that  during  the  Dark  Ages  there  was 
a  long  period  during  which  Lecce  acknowledged  the 
sway  of  the  Eastern  Emperor  at  Constantinople. 

1  shall  have  more  to  say  of  the  connection  between 
the  local  dialect  and  customs  with  those  prevailing 
across  the  Straits  of  Otranto.  At  the  present  moment 
the  most  tangible  link  we  have  with  the  Golden  Age 
of  Magna  Grsecia  is  comprised  in  the  interesting 
remains  of  the  period  collected  in  the  Lecca  Museum. 
On  page  31  something  has  already  been  said  of  the 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  47 

Museum  as  a  whole,  and  of  its  fine  collection  of  Greek 
vases.  These  date  from  earthenware  of  the  earliest 
periods  onwards. 

The  terra-cotta  objects  are  all  in  Sala  III.,  and  have 
been  found  in  all  parts  of  Apulia,  notably  at  Canosa, 
Rugge,  Egnasia,  etc.  Besides  vessels  and  utensils 
of  very  divergent  forms,  there  are  a  great  number  of 
small  figures,  and  miscellaneous  objects  such  as  a 
relief  of  Medusa's  head. 

In  Rooms  V.,  VI,,  and  VII.  is  displayed  a  really 
valuable  and  extensive  collection  of  late  Greek  vases, 
corresponding  to  those  in  the  Fourth  Vase  Room  at 
the  British  Museum,*  and  dating  from  the  fourth 
century  b.c.  These  are  for  the  most  part  character- 
istic of  their  place  of  manufacture,  but  have  many 
points  in  common.  The  figures  usually  represent  the 
heroes  of  mythology,  thus  two  amphorae  in  the  Lecce 
Museum  depict  Achilles  and  Briseis,  and  Polyneices 
and  Eriphyle.  Two  others  may  be  mentioned ;  one 
representing  a  nude  Greek  lady  with  arms  extended, 
a  back  view ;  a  bell-shaped  krater  of  the  usual  type 
with  the  characteristic  laurel-wreath,  maeander,  and 
crosses.  Besides  these,  the  fine  vases  (on  stand  in 
centre),  and  bowl  from  Canosa  are  remarkable. 

In  Room  No.  V.,  besides  various  ruder  objects  in 
flint  and  bronze,  are  others  of  more  importance,  the 
panel  of  the  Satyr  and  Nymph,  the  excellent  Hermes, 
and  the  beautiful  little  draped  figure  of  a  Greek  lady. 
This  last  is  in  good  preservation,  and  as  Sig.  Magni 
has  observed,  will  bear  comparison  with  more  famous 
examples. 

'  Compare  with  Nos.  F  47,  165, 167,  40,  41,  51,  53,  166  in  Fourth  Vase 
Room,  British  Museum,  with  the  celebrated  "  Pudicizia  "  in  the  Braccio 
Nuovo  Chiaramonti  in  the  Vatican  at  Rome. 


48  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Lecce  under  Rome 
(B.C.  272 — A.D.  circ.  250) 

The  next  five  hundred  years  of  Lecce  history  is 
again  sparse  and  fragmentary.  Of  Brindisi  and 
Taranto  we  have  ampler  records,  but  with  the  object 
of  tracing  the  growth  of  one  city  alone  before  us,  any 
temptation  to  chronicle  the  district  must  be  set  aside. 
However,  we  have  not  yet  bidden  farewell  to  Magna 
Graecia,  for  under  the  Republic  there  was  still  a 
semblance  of  brotherhood  between  the  decaying  sea- 
board towns.  To  counteract  this  backward  tendency 
Rome  sent  picked  settlers  into  every  city,  men  who 
by  their  virile  vitality  would  raise  the  prevailing  tone 
of  effete  stagnation.  There  was  another  purpose  in 
the  choice  of  these  emigrants,  a  purpose  sedulously 
kept  secret.  It  was  still  whispered  on  the  Forum 
Romanorum  that  rebellion  had  occurred  when  Car- 
thage furnished  the  opportunity,  that  ties  of  blood 
with  Greece  across  the  seas  had  lost  none  of  their 
old  power,  and  that  care  must  be  taken  to  prevent 
another  rising  on  the  Ionian  shore.  So  there  was 
something  in  the  nature  of  espionage  to  be  exercised 
by  the  new  settlers  in  addition  to  their  more  obvious 
duties. 

New  colonies  were  established,  notably  Brundusium 
(now  Brindisi),  which  had  come  into  existence  before 
the  Second  Punic  War  (244  b.c),  and  a  century  or 
so  later  an  attempt  was  fruitlessly  made  to  revive 
Squillace  and  Taranto. 

All  human  efforts  were  fated  to  become  failures, 
when  there  arrived  a  fresh  and  dread  foe,  the  curse 
of  malaria.     There  is  no  record  of  such  a   calamity 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  49 

having  occurred  before  the  second  century  b.c.  ;  but 
after  its  appearance  the  final  fall  of  these  once 
luxurious  cities  was  only  a  question  of  time.  Strabo 
tells  us,  when  writing  of  Posidonia,  how  rapid  was 
the  destruction,  and  Cicero  is  no  less  strong  in  his 
descriptions.  Of  the  cities  existing  even  in  his  time, 
many  have  since  disappeared  from  sight,  while 
Taranto,  Crotona,  and  a  few  others  dragged  on  a 
miserable  existence  through  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  rise  of  Brundusium  as  a  great  port  of  military 
value,  and  the  opening  of  the  Appian  Way  from  Rome 
via  Beneventum  and  Venusia  must  have  had  an  im- 
mediate effect  on  the  adjoining  cities  of  Lecce  and 
Rusce  (Lupia  and  Rudia  the  Romans  called  them). 
At  the  latter,  almost  a  suburb  of  Lecce,  was  born  in 
239  B.C.  Quintus  Ennius,  famous  to  posterity  as  the 
father  of  Latin  poetry.  Many  authorities  deny  that 
this  Rudia  was  his  birthplace,  but  the  weighty  opinion 
of  Mommsen  is  in  its  favour.  De  Simone,  the  his- 
torian of  all  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  has  published  a 
comparative  table  of  the  different  views  on  the  ques- 
tion, and  gives  his  decision  with  Mommsen. 

Ennius  claimed  descent  from  the  ancient  lords  of 
Messapia  ;  and,  after  he  had  become  a  convert  to  the 
Pythagorean  doctrines,  used  to  boast  that  the  spirit 
which  had  once  inhabited  Homer's  body,  after  passing 
through  many  tenements  (one  being  a  peacock's  gay 
form,  another  the  revered  frame  of  the  sage  of  Cro- 
tona), had  eventually  passed  into  his  own.  Of  his 
early  history  we  know  nothing  save  loose  poetical 
references  indicating  that  he  served  with  credit  as 
a  soldier  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  a  centurion.  His 
later  career  is  too  well  known  to  require  further 
comment  here. 

4 


50  IN   THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

Two  Roman  settlements  were  apparently  made  at 
Lupia ;  the  first  about  a  century  before  Christ,  the 
second  under  Vespasian,  about  70  a.d. 

One  of  the  earliest  dates  in  Lecce  history  which 
can  be  verified  is  b.c.  44,  when  Octavian,  afterwards 
known  as  Caesar  Augustus,  landed  at  the  port  of 
Lupia  (about  seven  miles  from  the  city),  on  arrival 
from  the  East.  Here  he  was  met  with  the  startling 
tidings  of  his  great  uncle's  murder.  His  mother 
warned  him  that  the  troops  at  Brundusium  were 
hot  partisans  of  Brutus  and  Cassius.  He  therefore 
avoided  the  latter  city,  took  refuge  in  Lupia,  and 
was  there  acclaimed  Emperor  for  the  first  time. 

Pausanias  tells  us  that  another  Emperor  honoured 
Lupia,  Hadrian  to  wit,  who  founded  the  port  on  the 
Adriatic.  This  is  a  century  after  Octavian's  landing 
at  the  same  place,  though  in  the  earlier  case  we  are 
certainly  not  told  there  was  any  harbour  there,  merely 
a  landing-place.  A  visitor  to  this  port  of  San  Cataldo 
nowadays  finds  an  elaborate  bathing  establishment 
beloved  of  the  Leccese  in  the  dog-days  (see  p.  304), 
but  there  still  remain  the  marble  columns,  Verde 
antico  and  African  cipollino,  to  which  the  beaks  of 
the  Roman  galleys  were  tied  long  ago. 

The  paragraph  in  Pausanias  (Book  VL  ch.  xix. 
par.  9)  is  as  follows : 

"  The  people  of  Sybaris  also  built  a  treasury  next 
to  that  of  the  people  of  Byzantium.  Those  who  have 
inquired  most  carefully  into  the  history  of  Italy  and 
its  towns  say  that  Lupiae,  which  lies  between  Brun- 
dusium and  Hydrus,  has  changed  its  name,  and  was 
originally  called  Sybaris.  And  the  haven  for  ships 
was  made  by  navvies  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor 
Hadrian." 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  51 

In  commenting  on  this,  Dr.  J,  G.  Fraser,  whose 
edition  of  Pausanias  is  accepted  as  the  standard  one, 

says  : 

"This  is  of  course  absurd.  Lupiae,  or  Lupia,  was 
in  Calabria,  while  Sybaris  was  far  away  in  Lucania. 
Sir  E.  H.  Bunbury  thought  that  the  only  reasonable 
explanation  of  Pausanias's  strange  mistake  is  that  '  he 
confounded  Lupia  in  Calabria  (the  name  of  which  was 
sometimes  written  Lopia)  with  the  Roman  colony  of 
Copia  in  Lucania,  which  had,  in  fact,  arisen  on  the  site 
of  Thurii,  and  therefore  in  a  manner  succeeded  to 
Sybaris."  ^ 

Pliny  speaks  of  Lecce  as  "  Statio  militum  Lupiae  "  ; 
and  an  old  tablet  recently  found  among  the  ruins  of 
Rudia  says : 

*'C  CLAUDIO  C.F.M.N  NERONI  CONS  OB  REM  FELICISSIME 
IN  PICENO  ADVERSUS  PAENORUM  DUCEM  ASDRUBALEM 
GESTAM    SEN.    POP.  &  MILITUM    STATIO    LUPIEN.      A.H.P." 

Other  inscriptions  are  in  existence  telling  us  some- 
thing of  the  Roman  soldiers  of  the  Lecce  garrison, 
scanty  records,  it  is  true,  but  at  any  rate  supplying 
the  personal  element  in  a  very  hazy  period.  One  of 
these  tablets  exists  at  Naples,  in  the  Church  of  Santa 
Maria  della  Libua,^  a  second  was  found  in  Lecce  while 
excavating  for  the  foundations  of  the  Bishop's  palace,^ 
and  a  third  tells  us  of  the  celebrated  Quintus  Fabius 
Balbus,  who  held,  among  other  public  offices,  that  of 
Curator  of  the  Via  Augusta  Salentina,  and  of  Patron 
of  Lupia,  Hydruntum,  and  Neretum.     It  was  erected 

'  In  the  recent  edition  of  Dr.  Butler's  "  Atlas  of  Ancient  Geography," 
published  by  Messrs.  Dent  &  Co.,  Lecce  is  called  Sybaris  on  the  map 
of  Southern  Italy. 

*  For  inscription  see  Infantino. 

'  Ibid.  p.  28. 


52  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

to  his  memory  by  the  colony  at  Lupia,  and  found  in 
the  Middle  Ages  during  excavations. 

But  a  far  more  interesting  record  of  life  in  these 
days  exists — a  record  which  indeed  one  takes  with  the 
obvious  grain  of  salt,  but  which  connects  Lecce  with 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  the  persecutions  under 
Nero.  In  two  thick  volumes  of  some  800  pages  each, 
written  by  a  bishop  of  Southern  Italy  in  1592,  may 
be  read  the  lives  and  the  sufferings  of  all  the  saints 
in  this  part  of  the  world.  Some  of  these  hailed  from 
Lecce  and  the  neighbourhood.  To  the  interest  in- 
herent in  the  stories  one  must  add  the  quaint  phrasing 
of  the  old  Italian — phrasing  which  I  have  endeavoured 
to  reproduce  to  some  extent  in  my  translation,  phras- 
ing which  is  of  almost  the  same  date  as  our  own 
Authorised  Version,  yet  more  stilted,  from  its  obscure 
source.  The  tag  of  poetry  which  follows  the  story  is 
also  amusing.  I  have  omitted  much  moralising  which 
the  worthy  ecclesiastic  serves  up  with  his  history,  so 
as  to  bring  the  extract  within  reasonable  limits. 

The  book  itself  may  be  found  in  the  British  Museum, 
and  its  full  title  appears  in  the  Bibliography  at  the 
end  of  this  volume. 

The  first  story  deals  with  St.  Orontius,  Lecce's 
patron  saint,  and  St.  Justus,  Paul's  disciple  at  Corinth  : 

THE   LIFE   OF   THE   HOLY   MARTYRS 
JUSTUS   AND    ORONTIUS 

I 

How  St.  Justus  is  a  disciple  of  St.  Paul  the  Apostle,  arrives  at  the 
city  of  Lecce,  and  converts  Orontius. 

"  It  has  always  been  judged  a  laudable  thing  for  holy 
writers,  even  from  the  days  of  the  Early  Church,  to 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  53 

recount  the  glorious  battles  of  the  invincible  soldiers 
of  the  Cross.  And  although  the  Saints  have  no  need 
of  human  praise,  being  glorified  by  the  presence  of 
Christ  and  basking  in  the  angelic  company  of  Heaven, 
all  the  same  it  has  come  about  that  the  [people  have 
come  to  invoke  their  protection,  so  that  the  very  least 
we  can  do  is  to  reverence  their  memory  and  pray 
for  them.  Now,  there  flourished  in  the  first  century 
two  men  famous  for  their  glorious  martyrdom  in  this 
kingdom,  Orontius  the  Leccese,  and  Justus,  disciple 
of  St.  Paul  the  Apostle,  of  whose  works  (he  being 
a  citizen  of  Corinth)  I  will  say  no  more.  Nevertheless 
it  behoves  me  to  mention  how — as  we  may  read  in 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles — after  reasoning  with  the 
blaspheming  and  stubborn  Jews,  Paul  said  to  them  : 
'  Your  blood  be  upon  your  own  heads,  for  from  this 
day  will  I  go  forth  among  the  Gentiles.'  Whereupon, 
having  set  out  he  came  to  the  house  of  this  Justus 
as  he  was  called,  and  who  bore  witness  for  God,  his 
house  being  joined  to  the  synagogue.  And  as  it  fell 
to  the  Apostle  to  send  some  one  to  Rome,  he  de- 
spatched this  his  holy  disciple,  who  left  his  master 
at  Corinth,  arriving  by  ship  at  Lidi  Salentini,  in  the 
peninsula  of  Otranto,  and  from  thence  at  the  city  of 
Leccio,  where  he  had  for  host  a  noble  Leccese  named 
Publius  Orontius.  This  man  had  been  accustomed 
from  his  youth  to  go  into  the  surrounding  country 
with  a  few  companions  to  hunt  wild  animals  and,  like 
another  patriarch,  Abraham,  who,  meeting  strangers  on 
the  high  road,  led  them  to  his  house,  and  gave  them 
food  and  shelter — even  so  by  God's  providence  the 
blessed  Justus  (having  arrived  in  Leccio  from  the  city 
of  Otranto,  where  he  had  disembarked  from  his  ship 
on  his  way  to  Rome,  whither  the  Apostle  had  sent 
him),  was  observed  by  Orontius  and  was  forthwith 
invited  to  lodge  with  him,  so  greatly  was  that  noble 
moved  by  the  venerable  aspect  of  the  saintly  man. 
Nor  was  Justus  minded  to  show  himself  ungrateful 


54  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

for  this  patrician's  courtesy,  but  came  with  him,  an- 
swering all  that  was  asked  of  him  as  to  his  destination 
and  his  calling.  So,  led  by  Orontius,  he  arrived  in  the 
city  of  Leccio.  Then  the  infinite  goodness  of  God 
brought  into  that  proud  man's  heart  a  sudden  joyous- 
ness,  a  burning  desire  to  hear  from  the  Saint  of  the 
miracles  which  were  already  being  noised  through 
Italy  to  the  glory  of  the  name  of  Christ,  and  an 
instant  wish  to  learn  from  him  the  very  truth  of  these 
things.  Justus  informed  him  that  he  was  a  citizen 
of  Corinth  and  a  disciple  of  that  precious  chosen 
vessel  Paul  the  Apostle,  who  had  preached  with  such 
strange  and  intense  eloquence  from  Jerusalem  to 
Illyricum,  all  round  Asia  Minor,  even  in  the  nearer 
provinces  of  Europe  and  in  Arabia  withal,  discoursing 
of  the  most  holy  and  everlasting  Word  of  God,  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the  Father; 
of  how  Paul  had  cast  down  profane  idols,  making 
manifest  their  falsehood  and  their  uselessness.  How 
he  had  brought  city  after  city  to  worship  truly  the 
most  holy  Trinity,  which  had  created  both  Heaven 
and  Earth.  How  he  had  made  all  men  equally 
adopted  children  of  God,  by  the  blessed  work  of 
regeneration,  and  joint  heirs  to  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  Lastly,  how  this  same  Paul  had  sent  him, 
Justus,  to  prepare  the  chambers  of  Italian  minds,  so 
that,  cleansed  from  every  blind  superstition  of  idolatry, 
they  would  be  meet  to  receive  their  true  salvation. 
Then  came  Orontius  to  say  that  since  the  infinite 
pity  of  God  had  vouchsafed  to  bring  into  his  home 
a  disciple  of  that  great  Apostle  to  make  manifest  to 
him  so  lofty  a  secret,  he  was  willing  to  receive  into 
his  own  soul  the  True  Faith  which  had  been  preached 
to  him,  with  a  belief  in  only  one  God — Father,  Son, 
and  Holy  Ghost — Three  in  one,  equal  in  glory,  co- 
eternal  in  majesty.  Whereupon  the  Saint  said  to  him 
that  if  he  wished  to  submit  to  the  gentle  yoke  of 
Christ,  he  must  receive  Holy  Baptism,  and  that  he 


LECCE    UP   TO    NORMAN    TIMES  55 

would  then  be  granted  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
With  these  and  other  like  reasonings,  the  faithful 
disciple  of  the  Teacher  of  the  Gentiles,  happy  that 
his  host  sought  to  become  persuaded  of  the  Christian 
Doctrine,  strove  to  show  his  gratitude  by  saving  him, 
his  family,  and  his  native  land ;  so  that  by  pointing 
out  to  him  the  highway  to  Heaven,  he  would  no 
longer  be  his  debtor  for  the  hospitality  extended  in 
his  palace  on  earth." 

II 

The  blessed  Orontius  with  his  family  is  baptised  by  St.  Justus,  who, 
after  setting  out  for  Rome,  returns  to  Leece  once  more. 

[After  comparisons  with  the  parallel  cases  of  con- 
version in  the  New  Testament,  those  of  Cornelius 
the  centurion  and  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch,  this  chapter 
describes  the  baptism  of  Orontius  and  all  his  house- 
hold by  Justus,  who  spent  the  following  day  and 
night  in  Lecce.  With  the  early  dawn  of  the  following 
morning  Justus  began  to  prepare  for  his  journey  to 
Rome,  and  decided  not  to  take  Orontius  with  him 
as  the  latter  desired,  but  told  him  that  it  was  now 
his  duty  to  share  his  great  gift  with  as  many  willing 
souls  as  he  could  find.  Then  they  parted,  the  disciple 
of  Paul  to  deliver  his  master's  letter  to  the  Romans.] 

"  Very  soon  he  fulfilled  the  promise  made  to  his 
beloved  Orontius  by  returning  to  Leccio,  bringing 
with  him  a  most  devout  lady,  by  name  Phoebe,  like- 
wise of  Greek  birth,  who  was  so  greatly  esteemed  that 
the  Apostle  Paul  himself  makes  mention  of  her  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans.  Orontius  received  her  with 
great  favour  and  with  spiritual  consolation,  nor  did 
he  leave  undone,  either  by  himself  or  his  household, 
any  deed  of  kindness.  He  washed  their  feet,  worn 
by  the  length  of  their  journey,  regaled  them  with  the 


56  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

choicest  of  viands,  and  housed  them  lavishly  in  two 
beds.  So  did  love  kindle  in  the  breasts  of  the  faithful, 
and  so  did  the  rays  thereof  spread  its  light  on  every 
hand  ;  since  by  one  pious  deed  in  housing  a  Christian 
believer  the  darkness  of  the  Gentiles  was  illuminated, 
as  will  soon  appear.  The  flame  shone  brighter  and 
brighter  till  not  alone  the  beautiful  city  of  Leccio  but 
also  a  great  part  of  lovely  Japygia  and  of  the  Salentine 
lands  by  the  Adriatic  shore  received  the  true  faith 
from  Justus's  lips,  wherefore  many  became  eligible  for 
the  final  triumph  of  Heaven." 

in 

How  ten  others  of  Lecce  are  baptised,  and  how  Justus,  with  Orontius 
and  Fortunatus,  sets  out  to  meet  St.  Paul. 

" .  .  .  .  After  the  first  night's  repose  following  their 
journey,  the  Saints  were  next  morning  made  acquainted 
by  Orontius  with  ten  of  his  friends  and  neighbours 
whom  he  had  by  persuasion  converted  to  Christ. 
These  he  now  wished  to  be  ceremonially  baptised. 
Among  them  was  his  cousin,  one  Fortunatus.  Then 
did  Orontius  beseech  the  blessed  Justus  that  he  should 
preach  the  Word  of  God  publicly  to  the  people.  But 
the  Saint,  with  much  humility,  declined,  saying  that  so 
holy  an  office  should  not  be  practised  by  all,  and  that 
he  had  neither  been  chosen  by  Holy  Church  nor  set 
apart  for  this  purpose  by  the  Apostles. 

"  Orontius,  all  afire  with  a  longing  to  see  this  same 
Apostle  Paul,  requested  that  he  and  Fortunatus,  his 
cousin,  might  go  with  Justus  to  Corinth,  and  that 
there  they  might  be  presented  to  Paul  and  converted 
by  him,  saying  how  great  an  honour  they  would  count 
it.  Many  more  Leccese  were  baptised  joyously,  and 
then  the  three  disciples  set  forth  in  company  to  see 
the  Apostle  of  Our  Lord  of  whom  they  had  heard  so 
much,  and  to  pray  earnestly  for  him  to  give  them  that 
which  their  hearts  desired. 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  57 

"  .  .  .  ,  Then,  when  Paul  granted  to  them  of  his 
great  charity  a  hearing,  Orontius  commenced  by  tell- 
ing him  the  supreme  grace  which  the  Giver  of  every 
perfect  gift — Jesus  Christ — had  allowed  to  breathe  in 
Justus,  how  in  his  journey  to  Rome,  made  at  the 
Apostle's  behest,  he  had  arrived  at  Leccio,  their  native 
town,  and  especially  how  he  had  brought  into  his  own 
house  the  most  excellent  gift  of  the  Eternal  Word  and 
of  the  Divine  Faith.  .  .  .  And  that  they  wished  that 
this  supreme  grace  should  be  shed  over  all  their  land 
by  the  devoted  preaching  of  that  same  divine  Word, 
.  .  .  that  they  had  come  to  humbly  pray  him,  if  their 
prayer  was  not  presumptuous,  that  he  would  deign  to 
come  to  their  city  as  evangelist  and  to  convert  it  from 
the  damnable  condition  in  which  it  then  was  (adoring 
the  devil  incarnate  and  his  idols  made  by  man)  to  the 
worship  of  the  only  true  God  in  power  .  .  .  leading 
them  out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  from  the  manifest 
loss  of  their  souls  to  the  acquisition  of  everlasting 
glory.  But  that  if  they  and  their  native  place  were 
not  worthy  of  such  a  gift,  they  besought  him  that  he 
would  of  his  compassion  send  back  with  them  to 
Leccio  Justus,  that  he  would  fill  him  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,  so  that  from  his  fulness  he  might  preach  the 
Divine  Word  or  baptise  all  who  wished  to  Christ. 
So  ended  the  speech  of  Orontius,  in  which  may  be 
seen  how  marvellous  was  the  effect  of  his  conversion 
upon  him.  .  .  ." 


IV 

How  St.  Paul  hearkened  to  the  prayer  of  Orontius,  makes  him  Bishop 
of  Lecce,  and  gives  to  him  the  blessed  Justus  for  his  priest. 

[After  reminding  the  reader  of  the  "one  sinner  that 
repenteth,"  this  chapter  commences  by  recounting 
Paul's  gratitude  for  Orontius'  speech,  tells  how  he 
lifted  his  hands  to  heaven,  and  offered  up  thanks  for 


58  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

this  proof  of  the  faith  of  Justus,  already  well  known  to 
him  for  his  works  in  Corinth.] 

"  And  that  he  felt  a  great  joy  after  the  sweet  words 
of  Orontius  and  Fortunatus,  not  only  for  their  sakes 
but  for  all  their  country,  that  it  had  been  counted 
worthy  of  that  highest  divine  gift  which  they  now 
claimed.  Nevertheless  that  he  asked  them  to  excuse 
him  from  making  the  voyage  to  Leccio,  for  he  had 
received  a  command  from  the  Holy  Spirit  that  he 
should  return  to  Jerusalem  to  inform  the  most  holy 
company  of  apostles  and  disciples  of  Christ  there 
assembled  of  the  saving  of  souls  which  had  been 
wrought  by  his  preaching  among  the  Gentiles.  But 
for  all  that  he  would  not  deprive  their  land  of  the 
desire  so  dear  to  them  and  so  acceptable  to  God,  so 
he  assigned  to  them  as  preacher  of  the  Word  of  God 
Justus,  and  appointed  Orontius  as  Bishop  of  Leccio. 
And  having  given  them  his  blessing,  and  having 
abundantly  filled  them  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  sent 
them  forth  sanctified  for  their  journey,  and  so  greatly 
did  he  esteem  them  that  for  credentials  to  their  fellow- 
citizens  he  gave  them  a  letter  in  his  own  hand.  So 
after  resting  some  days  in  Corinth,  they  took  brotherly 
leave  of  the  Apostle,  and  finally,  with  fair  winds, 
these  good  soldiers  of  Christ,  Justus,  Orontius,  and 
Fortunatus,  crossed  by  sea  to  Leccio. 

"  In  that  city  they  were  received  with  much  honour 
by  their  fellow-citizens  and  by  a  great  part  of  the 
Roman  Legion  which  was  quartered  there,  and  the 
blessed  Justus  having  commenced  to  preach  the  Word 
of  God,  in  a  short  time  he  caused  not  only  all  the  city 
to  readily  receive  the  sacred  Gospel,  but  a  great 
number  of  the  citizens  and  of  the  Roman  soldiers 
to  be  baptised.  And  having  in  view  that  one  of  the 
Christian  offices  which  tests  the  faith  of  a  believer — 
that  he  giveth  one-tenth  of  his  goods  to  our  Lord  (in 
order  that  His  sanctuary  may  be   meetly  decorated, 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  59 

His  prelates  and  priests  clothed  and  fed,  His  worship 
upheld,  and  the  poor  and  needy  succoured) — the 
people  of  Leccio  had  such  a  burning  faith  and  love 
that  by  a  decree  published  abroad  they  gave  perpetu- 
ally to  the  Church  a  tenth  of  their  cattle  and  beasts 
of  every  kind,  a  tenth  of  their  fruits  and  all  manner  of 
vegetables,  a  tenth  of  all  things  that  went  out  of  the 
city,  and  all  that  came  into  it,  gathering  thus  a  tenth 
on  every  possible  occasion.  This  most  worthy  statute 
lasted  even  from  those  first  days  of  the  infant  Church 
up  to  the  time  of  the  Norman  Princes,  about  the  year 
of  our  Lord  11 20,  and  under  the  tyranny  of  the  first 
King  William,  for  his  evil  deeds  called  *  The  Bad,' 
it  began  to  be  lacking,  for  after  defeating  the  city 
of  Leccio  in  unholy  warfare,  he  seized  the  tenth  which 
belonged  to  the  Bishop  and  Church,  and  divided  it 
among  his  soldiers  and  officers." 

And  then  our  chronicler — himself  a  sympathetic 
cleric — goes  on  to  tell  us  how  this  impious  act  im- 
poverished the  Church,  and  how  the  Council  of  Trent 
was  held  to  discuss  kindred  matters.  The  Church  in 
Southern  Italy  to-day  is  indeed  miserably  poor,  but 
during  the  Middle  Ages,  and  even  up  to  Napoleon's 
time,  it  was  sufficiently  rich.  For  this  reason  we  can 
feel  but  little  sympathy  with  Bishop  Paolo  Regio  in 
this  very  fierce  denunciation  of  what  must  have  been 
an  extremely  heavy  tax. 

V 

How  Justus  and  Orontius  suffer  holy  martyrdom  in  the  persecu- 
tions of  Nero,  with  others  of  the  faithful. 

"...  But  although  the  new  Church  of  Leccio  was 
in  such  holy  and  happy  state,  sanctified  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  for  having  accepted  the  Word  of  God,  and  for 
having  overthrown  foolish  superstition  and  idolatry, 


6o  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

yet  the  Devil,  always  hostile  to  every  good  work 
which  shows  to  all  men  the  faith  of  such  believers 
and  the  impotence  of  his  own  power,  kindled  his 
infernal  hatred  of  the  Christians  in  the  breast  of  the 
Emperor  Nero.  With  the  miserable  example  of  the 
burning  of  Troy  in  his  mind,  he  caused  the  buildings 
of  Rome  to  be  set  on  fire  by  night,  and  stood  alone  in 
a  lofty  place  watching  the  terrible  scene  with  happy 
countenance.  Then  as  there  was  no  man  to  accuse, 
and  in  order  to  remove  the  stain  from  his  own 
character,  instigated  by  Satan  his  master,  he  placed 
all  blame  for  the  deed  on  the  Christians,  imputing  to 
them  falsely  the  origin  of  the  fire;  and  adding  cruelty 
to  falsehood,  promised  the  Senate  to  harry  and 
persecute  the  innocent  followers  of  Christ.  .  .  . 

"  In  these  days  it  reached  the  Emperor's  ears  that 
the  city  of  Leccio,  with  his  garrison  of  Roman  soldiers 
adjoining,  having  received  the  Holy  Word,  had  over- 
thrown the  false  worship  of  idols.  So,  being  mightily 
incensed,  he  despatched  to  that  city  his  most  impious 
and  cruel  minions  and  familiars  to  again  cause  a 
butchery  of  human  flesh  of  whomsoever  they  could 
discover  worthy  of  it.  He  was  told  that  there  was 
no  difficulty  in  finding  the  authors  of  this  holy  brother- 
hood, seeing  that  the  blessed  Justus  was  preaching 
the  Word  of  God  and  the  blessed  Orontius  was 
baptising  all  those  who,  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
were  willing  to  work  together  in  the  good  work  of 
regenerating  men's  souls.  Moreover,  that  they  were 
men  of  such  intrepid  mind  that  in  order  to  convert 
and  baptise  one  single  man  they  would  face  a  thousand 
Neros,  could  all  be  collected  in  one  place  together ! 
So  when  these  ruffians  found  them  engaged  in  the 
acts  of  praying  and  baptising,  surrounded  by  the 
faithful,  they  asked  the  saints  what  doctrine  this  was 
they  preached.  .  .  . 

"  But  finding  themselves  incapable  of  shaking  their 
belief,  they  began  soon  to  threaten  them  with  a  most 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  6i 

cruel  death  if  they  would  not  leave  their  worship  and 
bow  the  knee  to   Mars  and  Jupiter,   the  pagan  gods 
of  Rome.      Then  as  the  saints  remained  established  in 
the  Faith  and  comforting  those  of  their  profession, 
they   were   subjected   to    indignities   and    to    various 
tortures  till  they  died  on  the  first  Sunday  in  September, 
as  is  solemnly  believed,  since  on  that  day  has  always 
been  celebrated  their  glorious  martyrdom,  which  took 
place   in   the   year   of  our   Lord   68.     Thus  was   the 
Church  at  Leccio  crimsoned  with   the   blood   of  the 
holy  martyrs  Justus  and  Orontius  at  the  same  time  as 
those  most  glorious  apostles  Peter  and  Paul  suffered 
under   the   tyranny   of  Nero.     Then   various  faithful 
Leccese,  having  recovered  the  holy  bodies  from  the 
middle  of  the  piazza  where  they  were  killed,  placed 
them  with  precious  gems  in  a  secure  place,  and  there 
they  rested  till  the  baptism  of  Constantine  the  Great, 
when   free   leave   was   given   to   Christians   to    build 
churches  in  memory  of  the  Saints  of  God,  and  altars 
in  their  honour  ;  so  that  the  citizens  of  Leccio  found 
these  bodies  full  of  a  most  sweet  smell  (as  is  customary 
with  saintly  corpses)  and  took  them  as  their  protectors 
in  the  heavenly  galaxy,  and  having   placed   them    in 
two  silver  caskets,  built   an    ornate   church    in    their 
honour,   which  lies  outside  the  Western  gate  of   the 
city  where  they  were  martyred  :  there  rests  the  body 
of  St.  Justus,  and  that    of   St.  Orontius  is  buried  in 
another   church   outside   the  city  with  a  great  store 
of  treasure."  .  ,  . 

So  ends  the  story  of  St.  Orontius  as  Paolo  Regio 
tells  it.  Mrs.  Ross,  in  her  "  Land  of  Manfred,"  gives 
a  slightly  different  version,  ascribing  the  place  of 
martyrdom  to  a  site  two  miles  outside  the  city  and 
the  date  to  August,  66  a.d.  She  also  adds  that 
Orontius  was  a  follower  of  Pythagoras,  and  says  that 
the    bishopric   to  which    he  was   appointed  was  that 


62  IN   THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

of  "  Salento,"  presumably  a  name  for  the  Salentine 
territory. 

Oronzo,  as  a  name,  is  common  in  Lecce,and  was  borne 
by  our  landlord  at  the  sign  of  the  **  Risorgimento." 

Of  Justus  little  more  is  known  than  the  reference 
in  Acts  xviii.  7 : 

"And  he"  (Paul)  "departed  thence,  and  went  into 
the  house  of  a  certain  man  named  Titus  Justus,  one 
that  worshipped  God,  whose  house  joined  hard  to 
the  synagogue."  [r.v.] 

This  move  to  Justus's  house  took  place  after  a 
dispute  with  the  Jews,  at  whose  synagogue  in  Corinth 
he  had  been  preaching. 

Dr.  Hastings'  Bible  Dictionary  points  out  differences 
in  the  exact  name  borne  by  Justus  in  different  ver- 
sions, and  quotes  from  Ramsay's  "  St.  Paul  the 
Traveller  "  as  follows  : 

"Titus  Justus  was  evidently  a  Roman  or  a  Latin, 
one  of  the  'coloni'  of  the  colony  Corinth.  Like  the 
centurion  Cornelius,  he  had  been  attracted  to  the 
synagogue,  where  his  citizenship  could  afford  Paul 
an  opening  to  the  more  educated  class  of  the  Corinthian 
population." 

It  gives  a  little  extra  touch  of  reality  to  this  old 
story  when  one  remembers  that  the  visitors  from 
Lecce  would  probably  find  Paul  working  away  at 
his  trade  of  tent-making  with  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
his  hosts,  themselves  Jews  banished  from  Italy  by 
the  Emperor's  decree. 

I  have  omitted  in  translating  from  the  original  all 
the  long  preface  and  final  moral  which   accompanies 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  63 

each  of  these  lives  of  the  martyrs,  but  add  the  little 
rhyme  with  which  the  Bishop  concludes  : 

CANTICO    A   I    SS.   GIUSTO    ET   ORONTIO    MARTIRl 

Lo  spirito  mio  che  di  lodarvi  brama 
Spiega  cotanto  in  alto  il  suo  pensiero, 
Ch'  a  voi  sen  vien,  quai  riverisce  &  ama. 

Onde  contempla  il  vostro  eterno  &  vero 
Gaudio  ch'  in  del  godere,  &  non  piii  stima 
Del  cieco  monde  ogni  tiranno  Impero. 

Conosce  ben  che  voi  la  luce  prima 

Portaste  a  Leccio  ond'  hora  6  si  splendente, 
Che  scuopre  il  lume  suo  per  ogni  clima. 

Qual  venne  k  lei  dal  lucido  Oriente 
Illuminato  dal  celeste  raggio 
Di  quel  gran  Sol  che  1'  Sol  formd  di  niente. 

Per  questo,  il  popol  suo  divenne  saggio, 
Et  fu  di  man  de  1'  Aversario  tolto, 
Ch'  d'  Averno  gli  fea  piano  il  viaggio. 

Essendo,  che  ne  la  tenebre  involto 
Vivea  de  1'  ignoranza  e  il  vero  Dio. 
Non  discerneva  allor  poco  ne  molto 

Perche  ingannato  dal  nemico  rio 
A  quel  porgera  1'  holocaust©  indegno, 
Credendo  fare  un  sacrificio  pio. 

Or  poi  ch'  io  lodar  voi  tutto  m'  ingegno 
Per  quanto  il  debil  mio  valor  s'  estende 
Siate  de  1'  alma  mia  guida,  e  sostegno. 

O  Giusto  e  Orontio  ch'ella  k  questo  attende 
Scoprendo  gia  benche  con  basse  rime 
La  vostra  luce,  che  per  tutto  splende. 

Intercedere  al  Tribunal  sublime 
Anco  per  lei,  6  glorioso  Santi 
Che  '1  vostro  Nome  nel  mio  cor  s'  inprime. 

A  voi  gia  drizzo  i  miei  pietosi  canti 
Poi  d' haver  scritti  h  gli  huomini  Fedeli 
I  vostri  merti,  che  fon  tanti,  e  tanti. 

Se  di  Nerone  i  militi,  crudeli 

Si  dimostraro  verso  il  vostro  sangue 
In  vano  opraro  i  lor  pugnenti  teli. 

Che  co'  1  vostro  martirio  il  perfid'  angue 
Restd  calcato  &  con  piCi  dura  spada 


64  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Percosso,  ond  hoggi  lagrimoso  langue. 

La  vostra  passion  mostro  la  strada 
A  i  Leccesi,  del  Ciel,  per  dove  ponno 
Salir  nella  beatissima  contrada. 

Che  risvegliati  da  lor  grave  sonno 
La  verita  per  voi  scorsero  chiaro 
Di  colui,  ch'e  dell' universe  Donno. 

Orde  passaro  1'  horrido  Gennaro 
De  gli  Idolatri  Imperadori,  quelli 
Un  sontuosa  Tempio  vi  formaro. 

E  i  vostri  sacri  corpi  in  ricchi  avelli 
A  perpetua  memoria  custodiro 
A  mal  grado  de'  spiriti  rubelli. 

Per  tal  cagion  voi  dal  superno  giro 

Gratie  &  favori  a  quei  piovere  ogn'  hora 
Ond  have  effetto  il  lor  giusto  desiro. 

Quella  nobil  citta  voi  Santi  honora, 
Et  v'  have  in  Cielo  per  suoi  Pretettori, 
App6  I'eterno,  &  vero  Dio,  ch' adora. 

Per  voi  fu  tolta  da  gli  antichi  errori 
Per  voi  connobbe  il  sempiterno  bene 
Per  voi  fu  adorna  di  superni  honori. 

Per  voi  la  fama  sua  nel  mondo  viene 
Per  voi  purgata   fu   dal  suo   peccato 
Per  voi  fedele  a  Christo   hor   si   mantiene. 

Per  voi  cangib  suo  doloroso  stato 

Piu  volte  in  lieto  «&  fu  sorente  afflitto 
Chiuque  al  suo  buo  fervir  mostrossi  ingrato. 

Per  voi  caminara   nel   camin  dritto 

Di  Santa   Chiesa   E  con   i   suoi  precetti 
Pervenera  al  termine  prescritto. 

Si  come   da   quel  tempo  in  fatti,  6  in   detti 
Venuta  men   non  e   da   quella  Fede 
Che  glie  insegnaste,   6  Santi  benedetti. 

Et   bene  in  Cielo,   E  qui  n'  ha   la  mercede 
Che  duplicati   beni  il   Creatore 
In   ogni  tempo  sempre   le  concede. 

Ma  poi  che  tanto  e  il  vostro  gran  valore 
O  gloriosi  Martiri  di  Christo, 
Ogn'  un  s'  inchini  k  noi  con  tutto  '1  core. 

Ogn' un  col' vostro  esempio  il  camin  tristo 
Kugga  d'Averno,  e  al  ciel  rivolga  il  vise 
E  si  forzi  di  quello  fare  acquisto. 


LECCE    UP   TO    NORMAN    TIMES  65 

La  gran  felicita  del  Paradiso 
Esprimer  non  si  pud  con  lingua  humana 
Si  come  il  Sol  non  puo  non  mirarsi  fiso. 

La  virtute  de'  Santi  soprahumana 

Lodar  non  puote  a  pieno  huomo  mortale 
Che  da  la  Maesta  provien  soprana. 

Poscia  che  tanto  vostro  gloria  sale, 

Sia  ogn'  hor  propitio  a  noi  vostro  soccorso, 
In  ogni  nostro  non  pensato  male. 

O  di  Dio  fervi,  e  in  questo  brieve  corso 
Di  nostra  vita  raffrenate  1'  empio 
Serpe  ch'e  pronto  sempre  a  dar  di  morso. 

Cosi  r  anima  nostra  fatta  Tempio 

Del  vero  Amor  sar^  continuo  adorn  a 
Di  carita,  co'  1  vostro  eccelso  esempio. 

Cosi  la  nostra   notte  al  fin  s'  aggiorna, 
Cosi  scorgeme  il  luminoso  Sole 
Che  rotte  al  Mostro  rio  le  acute  corna 

Formamo  soavissime  parole. 


THE   LIVES   OF   THE    BLESSED   VIRGIN    MARTYRS 
S.    HERINA   AND   S.    VENERA 

I 

How  S.  Herina  is  daughter  of  Licinius,  the  brother-in-law  and  friend 
of  Constantine  the  Great,  and  of  her  friend  S.  Venera. 

..."  Now,  among  those  who  have  opposed  the 
Christian  faith  was  one  Licinius,  brother-in-law  of 
Constantine  the  pious  Emperor.  He  having  been 
made  consort  of  the  empire  by  Maximianus  Galerius 
on  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Severus  in  the  year  of 
our  salvation  308,  saw  fit  to  follow  him  in  the  disbelief 
which  he  soon  manifested  towards  the  Christians. 
And  as  his  parents  were  labourers  in  the  fields,  of 
unspeakably  low  birth,  he  was  equally  hostile  to 
learning,  of  which  he  was  ignorant  beyond  measure. 
But  having  risen  to  Imperial  rank  given  him  by 
Constantia  his  wife,  sister  of  Constantine,  there  was 
born    from    their    union    S.   Herina,   whom   we   now 

5 


66  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

honour.  This  most  holy  damsel  (although  born  of  a 
father  hostile  to  Christ)  having  nevertheless  a  Christian 
mother  and  being  of  Imperial  blood,  followed  rather 
in  her  mother's  footsteps  and  faith  than  in  her  father's 
barbarism  and  impiety. 

"  It  may  be  read  in  Pomponius  Letus,  in  Cassiodorus, 
in  Eutropius,  and  in  Eusebius — the  historians  of  Con- 
stantine's  career — and  also  in  the  old  Comentarii  of 
the  city  of  Leccio  (whence  this  life  is  drawn)  that 
S.  Herina  was  born  in  that  city,  and  that  for  com- 
panion she  had  a  Christian  maiden  named  Venera. 
But  as  Licinius  was  an  enemy  to  Christ,  he  never 
ceased  from  warring  against  His  followers,  and  without 
fear  or  shame  caused  many  of  them  to  be  killed  who 
would  not  worship  idols :  so  much  so,  that  after 
Constantine  had  exhorted  and  begged  him  to  desist, 
he  was  compelled  to  exert  his  power  against  Licinius. 
Expecting  the  first  encounter,  Licinius  made  his  way 
into  Pannonia  and  then  into  Macedonia,  returning 
thence  to  Italy.  Now,  before  he  had  been  driven  into 
Asia  (at  which  time  he  had  been  living  in  Leccio)  he 
had  decided  to  bestow  his  daughter  Herina  in  marriage 
on  a  great  General,  hoping  thereby  to  obtain  his  aid 
against  Constantine's  power.  And  this  soldier,  having 
already  heard  report  of  the  maid's  goodness  and 
beauty,  expressed  his  desire  without  hesitation,  in 
such  wise  that  the  marriage  was  arranged  between 
them. 

"  And  Licinius,  wishing  to  inform  his  daughter  (she 
knowing  nothing  of  what  he  wished,  and  having 
devoted  herself  to  perpetual  chastity  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Spirit),  commenced  to  talk  to  her  in  gentle  and 
pleasant  phrases : 

"  *  Sweet  child,  thou  art  my  only  hope  against  my 
adverse  fortune,  since  it  is  only  by  giving  thee  in 
marriage  to  a  most  valiant  and  worthy  man  that  I  can 
by  his  aid  recover  my  lost  Empire.     And  although  my 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  67 

heart  liketh  not  to  bear  such  a  heavy  burden  (for  thou 
art  a  very  dear  little  one  to  me),  nevertheless  necessity 
forces  me  to  the  deed,  for  I  must  do  it  to  oppose  the 
presumption  of  others,  not  only  so  that  I  may  regain 
my  stolen  provinces,  but  so  that  1  may  also  be  able  to 
oppose  a  bold  front  to  the  enemy  for  all  time. 

"  '  So  make  thee  ready,  cover  thy  robes  with  precious 
jewels,  and  enhance  thy  beauty  as  becometh  a  daughter 
of  the  purple.' 

"  At  these  words  the  Christian  maid,  after  having 
prayed  God  with  all  her  heart  that  He  would  give  her 
strength  to  resist  all  that  opposed  her  will,  replied  thus : 

"  '  Father,  if  thou  wilt  hearken  to  my  words  in  true 
parental  love,  I  am  sure  that  thou  wilt  be  content  with 
my  own  wishes.  Know  then  that  I,  being  sprung  of 
Imperial  lineage  and  brought  up  as  becometh  my 
birth,  have  set  my  hopes  so  high  that  no  earthly 
husband  can  ever  be  my  equal ;  and  I  have  chosen  in 
my  heart  that  my  lord  will  be  no  chance  child  of 
fortune,  but  the  Lord  of  the  Universe,  ruling  all  men 
and  maintaining  all.  He  that  thou  wouldst  give  me 
may  easily  be  brought  down  from  his  greatness ;  his 
bravery  may  be  overcome  and  his  enemies  triumph 
over  him  ;  but  my  lord  triumphs  everlastingly,  so  that 
there  be  no  comparison  ;  his  goodness  is  abundant, 
and  stands  in  the  secret  places  of  those  who  fear  him, 
those  whom  he  has  chosen  for  his  own,  who  hope  in 
him  in  the  sight  of  all  men.  This  my  (husband  and 
lord  breaks  up  the  counsels  of  nations,  and  sets  at 
naught  the  will  of  peoples.  And  blessed  is  that  nation 
whose  God  is  my  lord,  and  whom  he  hath  chosen  for 
his  inheritance.' 

"  At  this  unexpected  reply  Licinius  remained  startled 
and  astonished,  asking  of  her  to  explain  more  clearly 
who  was  this  husband  whom  she  lauded  so  highly, 
and  in  what  way  she  had  become  espoused  to 
him  without  her  father  becoming  acquainted  there- 
with ?  Then  answered  the  virgin  that  her  lord  was 
not  of  earth  but  of  heaven,  and  that  he  was  the  Son 


68  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

of  God.  Hearing  this,  Licinius  demanded  if  perchance 
Mars  was  her  spouse  or  some  other  one  of  the  sons  of 
Jupiter?  But  Herina  still  persisted  that  she  held 
none  of  these  to  be  gods,  but  only  infernal  devils,  and 
that  her  lord  was  none  other  than  Jesus  Christ. 

"  So  hateful  was  this  name  to  Licinius,  that  on 
hearing  it  spoken  by  his  daughter,  on  a  sudden  his 
fatherly  affection  for  her  changed  to  diabolical  hatred  ; 
forthwith  he  threatened  her  with  death,  fulminating 
with  fury  against  her  and  her  companion  Venera 
(believing  that  she  had  instructed  his  daughter  in  the 
Faith)  ;  and  the  impious  thought  seized  him  of  leading 
both  of  them  to  martyrdom.  Indeed  he  had  already 
made  known  his  cruel  wishes,  when  his  familiars 
persuaded  him  that  he  should  shut  up  the  holy  damsels 
in  a  room  of  his  palace  with  some  ladies  who  were 
pagans,  that  thereby  they  might  be  brought  round  to 
his  way  of  thinking.  So,  although  the  virgins  were 
ofttimes  tempted  by  these  women,  all  their  persuading 
was  in  vain ;  because  the  betrothed  of  Christ,  like 
a  firm  rock  battered  by  frequent  waves,  was  able  to 
answer  their  words.  And  so  far  from  converting 
them  to  the  parent's  wishes,  the  pagan  ladies  were 
themselves  persuaded.  Thus  was  made  manifest  to 
them  the  virtue  of  the  Triune  Light  which  shines  in 
every  man,  which  came  into  this  world  to  reduce  it 
to  Christianity.  Finally  they  confessed  that  for  them 
there  was  now  only  one  true  God,  the  God  of  the 
Christians. 

"  In  the  meantime  Licinius,  little  thinking  that  the 
two  maidens  had  turned  the  others  against  idolatry, 
went  to  inspect  some  of  his  most  high-spirited  horses, 
of  which  one,  having  broken  the  halter  by  which  it  was 
tied,  kicked  him  ferociously  with  its  hoofs  in  the  chest, 
and  trampled  on  him  as  he  lay  half-dead  on  the 
ground.  The  report  spread  that  he  had  succumbed, 
and  hearing  the  cries  of  the  folk  who  were  running  up 
to   the   stable,  Herina   also  came.     Seeing  her  father 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  69 

lying  as  if  dead  on  the  ground,  she  cast  herself  on  her 
knees  and  prayed  to  her  heavenly  spouse  that  He 
would  restore  health  to  him  who  had  brought  her  into 
the  world.  And  the  prayer  being  heard,  her  father 
rose  from  the  ground,  without  feeling  any  hurt,  and 
arriving  in  amazement  at  his  house,  asked  of  his 
daughter  by  what  power  she  had  helped  him.  Then 
the  maiden  taking  up  courage  said  to  him  : 

"  '  Know,  O  father,  that  I  have  saved  thee  from  immi- 
nent death  neither  with  the  healing  virtues  of  herbs 
nor  with  incantations,  but  by  believing  in  the  infinite 
mercy  of  my  Lord  and  God,  whom  I  humbly  implored 
to  restore  thee  to  thy  health  ;  and  for  that  very  reason 
thou  must,  in  thanks  for  this  blessing,  and  knowing  the 
error  of  thy  ways,  claim  pardon  and  humbly  adore 
Him.  Also  I  assure  thee  that  by  confessing  thy  sin 
and  receiving  holy  baptism,  all  thy  misdeeds  will  be 
forgiven  thee.  Recognise,  therefore,  this  same  miracle 
which  has  been  worked  in  thee  and  the  power  ot 
my  Christ,  and  I  will  be  thy  obedient  child  even  as 
thou  art  my  beloved  father.' 

"  To  these  pious  words  Licinius  made  no  reply,  but 
seeing  that  all  circumstances  united  in  showing  that 
his  danger  had  been  exceeding  grave,  and  that  if 
he  showed  himself  unworthily  disposed  towards  his 
daughter  and  benefactors  he  would  be  deemed  un- 
grateful, he  bade  her  that  she  should  return  to  her 
chamber.  Thus  this  constant  enemy  of  the  Christians, 
who  had  killed  not  a  few  of  their  soldiers  in  Macedonia 
and  Sebasta,  is  now  persuaded  by  his  own  daughter 
to  receive  the  Faith  of  Christ,  though,  like  Pharaoh, 
his  heart  was  indeed  hardened." 


H 

How,   being   shut    up    in    dark  chambers,  Santa  Heriiia  and  Santa 
Venera  are  found  with  two  miraculous  lamps,  and  of  their  martyrdom. 

"  Stubbornness  born  of  pride  makes  a  man  obstinately 
hold   to   his   opinions,  and  for  this  reason  obstinate 


70  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

men  are  often  wicked  above  all  others,  blaming  the 
deeds  of  all  save  themselves,  looking  with  complacency 
on  their  own.  So  with  Licinius  it  may  be  seen  how, 
above  every  other  kind  of  pride,  he  persisted  in 
persecuting  the  Christians  ;  and  that  in  his  obstinacy 
he  would  not  even  forgive  his  own  innocent  child, 
and — returning  to  our  narrative — after  a  few  days  had 
passed,  he  returned  to  his  old  hatred  of  the  Christians 
and  killed  many,  both  in  Leccio  and  the  adjoining 
country.  Then  did  he  shut  up  in  a  strong  tower  the 
blessed  Herina,  where  he  made  her  live  in  a  dark 
chamber  with  one  solitary  believer,  hoping  that  there 
she  would  die  of  starvation. 

"  But  the  holy  damsel  cared  little  for  parental 
obstinacy  compared  with  Christ's  love,  and  there  with 
a  fervent  heart  gave  herself  up  to  the  passion  of  her 
celestial  lover,  who,  not  permitting  that  His  cherished 
Herina  should  live  in  earthly  darkness,  sent  to  her  by 
the  Lamb  a  brilliant  and  shining  lamp  to  hang  on  the 
wall  of  her  gloomy  prison,  which  by  night  and  day 
dispensed  a  clear  light  with  miraculous  splendour. 
Then  well  might  the  maiden  rejoice  with  David  in 
saying : 

'  The  splendour  of  the  Lord  our  God  is  upon  us '  (Psalm  Ixxxix.). 

"This  strange  light  having  become  manifest  to  the 
guardians  of  the  tower,  they  forthwith  informed 
Licinius  of  it.  Whereon  he  suspected  that  some  person 
from  the  city  had  brought  it  to  her  at  the  same  time  as 
her  daily  food,  and  sent  certain  of  his  servants  to 
quench  the  light ;  but  they  being  unable  either  to 
extinguish  it  or  to  carry  the  lamp  away,  moreover, 
being  deeply  moved  by  the  miracle,  returned  to 
Licinius,  telling  him  the  facts.  He  believed  not  their 
words,  and  now  sent  his  most  trusty  knights,  who 
inquired  of  the  virgin  whence  she  had  this  light. 
They  were   thus   answered   by  her,  that   her   eternal 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  71 

Lord  had  heard  her  prayer  and  had  made  it  known 
to  God  himself,  who  lights  the  outer  darkness.  Now, 
they  were  much  confused  and  went  back  to  Licinius, 
telling  him  that  the  lamp  had  not  been  placed  there  by 
human  hands  as  he  had  supposed  ;  but  in  order  that  he 
might  test  these  things  for  himself,  it  would  be  well  to 
place  a  constant  guard  there,  so  that  it  might  be  seen 
if  any  one  provided  the  oil  necessary  to  keep  the  flame 
burning ;  and  that  if  he  found  it  to  be  on  the  contrary, 
it  must  then  be  clear  that  this  was  a  divine  and  not  a 
natural  work. 

"  This  counsel  was  pleasing  to  Licinius,  and  having 
diligently  put  guards  round  the  tower,  and  discovered 
that  whilst  no  man  appeared  the  lamp  nevertheless 
continued  burning,  it  became  apparent  that  was  no 
work  of  human  hands  but  in  truth  a  miracle,  since  it 
demonstrated  the  holiness  of  the  maiden  against  all 
the  laws  of  nature.  Yet  in  spite  of  all,  so  obstinate 
was  this  foe  of  the  Christian  Faith  that  there  was  no 
peace  for  him  while  his  daughter  continued  to  worship 
Christ. 

"  Then  did  he  set  his  wits  to  work  how  he  might 
slay  Venera  her  companion;  and  certain  of  his  satel- 
lites having  gone  to  her  by  his  orders,  found  her  in 
the  attitude  of  prayer,  with  a  similar  lamp  placed 
before  her  near  the  image  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ; 
and  they  being  able  neither  to  extinguish  this  nor  to 
remove  it,  judged  it  to  be  a  work  of  magic  ;  then  they 
persuaded  Licinius  that  by  means  of  torture  he  should 
force  her  to  reveal  the  secret,  so  that  they  might 
thereby  learn  the  truth  of  the  other  lamp  found  in  the 
saintly  Herina's  chamber.  And  he  having  followed 
these  counsels,  questioned  the  blessed  Venera  with 
hideous  tortures  regarding  the  power  of  these  lamps  ; 
but  she  would  confess  nothing  more  than  the  Name 
of  Christ.  Despising  the  vanity  of  idols,  she  gave 
up  her  soul  to  her  Creator  in  these  tortures  glori- 
ously,  the   lamp   remaining   alight   in   her   room   for 


72  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

many  days  as  a  sign  that  she  was  one  of  the  prudent 
virgins. 

"Then  as  the  cruel  Tyrant  wished  to  bring  the  holy 
Herina  to  idolatry,  and  finding  her  still  established 
fast  in  the  Faith,  he  was  overcome  with  rage,  and 
condemned  her  to  death  with  other  brave  martyrs. 
And  all  of  these  were  amazed  at  the  invincible  cour- 
age of  so  young  a  maid,  who  in  the  happy  company 
of  other  prudent  virgins  had  been  deemed  worthy 
to  enter  the  heavenly  glory  of  her  Divine  Bridegroom. 
Thus  happened  the  glorious  martyrdom  of  St.  Herina 
and  St.  Venera  in  the  year  of  salvation  326. 

"  But  Licinius  did  not  go  unpunished  for  his  cruelty 
even  in  this  world,  for  having  again  rebelled  against 
Constantine,  still  holding  to  the  hope  of  obtaining 
the  lost  empire  by  force  of  arms,  he  was  slain  by 
Constantine's  order,  and  with  him  also  one  Martian, 
whom  he  had  made  Caesar,  his  ally  in  this  re- 
bellion. 

"  He  was  a  most  cruel  prince,  grasping  by  nature, 
dishonest,  and  greedy  of  power.  He  brought  death  to 
many  other  martrys  besides  St.  Herina  and  St. 
Venera.  He  lived  a  tyrant  for  fifteen  years,  and  was 
killed  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  life.  Some  authorities 
would  have  us  believe  that  he  left  behind  him  a  son 
of  like  name,  born  of  Constantia,  sister  of  Constantine, 
who  was  created  Caesar  together  with  Crispus,  son 
of  the  said  Constantine  and  Minervina  his  mistress, 
both  of  whom,  after  a  short  and  unhappy  reign,  were 
killed  by  the  agency  of  Fausta  the  Empress.  So 
since  Herina  had  been  born  and  had  suffered  martyr- 
dom in  the  town  of  Leccio,  the  citizens  took  her  for 
their  protectress,  and  have  always  held  her  in  solemn 
veneration,  building  churches  and  altars  to  her 
memory  and  inciting  her  name  for  all  their  needs. 
Likewise  on  the  fifth  day  of  May  they  celebrate  the 
festivity  of  this  holy  virgin,  although  in  Martyrology 
there   are  recorded   many   maidens   of  similar   name 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  ^^ 

on    other   days ;    but   this  is   the  one  of  whom  I  am 
now  treating. 

"And  so  abiding  is  the  memory  of  the  Just,  that 
when  Queen  Mary  (wife  of  King  Ladislaus)  lived  in 
Leccio,  there  was  found  in  a  chapel  a  revered  and 
ancient  image  of  the  glorious  Virgin  Mother  of  God, 
with  the  images  of  these  two  saints,  Herina  and 
Venera,  one  on  the  left  hand  and  the  other  on  the 
right,  their  lamps  held  in  their  hands.  This  chapel, 
being  situated  outside  the  city,  was  visited  by  no  man; 
but  as  there  appeared  for  one  year  from  this  date  a 
bright  light  over  the  roof,  occasion  was  given  to  the 
Leccese  to  build  an  ornate  church  and  to  dedicate 
it  to  Santa  Maria  della  Luce,  on  account  of  the  light 
which  had  so  miraculously  appeared,  and  at  the  same 
time  for  the  images  of  the  two  saints,  lamps  in  hand, 
as  of  the  number  of  the  prudent  virgins.  And  from 
the  year  of  salvation  141 8,  when  the  church  was  built 
and  these  images  found,  the  place  has  always  been 
held  in  high  honour  by  the  Leccese." 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  little  confirmation  is 
to  be  found  of  this  pretty  fable.  Modern  scholarship 
does  not  credit  Licinius  with  any  daughter,  only  a  son, 
born  in  315.  Regio  seems  to  be  correct  enough  as 
to  his  earlier  statements.  Licinius  was  born  of  hum- 
ble parents,  rose  to  a  joint  share  with  Maximinus  II. 
of  the  Empire  (his  share  consisting  of  the  western 
provinces  as  far  as  Bosphorus),  married  Constantia, 
defeated  Maximinus,  and  then  came  into  conflict  with 
Constantine.  His  birthplace  was  in  Dacia,  and  his 
career  as  a  soldier  was  a  remarkable  success.  Late 
in  his  history  he  had  Constantine  at  his  mercy  on  one 
occasion  and  spared  his  life,  only  to  lose  his  own 
by  the  latter's  ungrateful  hand. 

Excepting  only  the  two  qualities  of  military  skill 


74  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

and  physical  bravery — both  of  which  he  had  in  large 
measure — Licinius  appears  to  have  been  a  monster  of 
ingratitude  and  cold-blooded  ferocity.  Even  the  soft 
hypocrisies  of  Constantine  pale  before  his  rival's 
absolute  indifference  to  human  life  and  suffering,  his 
disregard  of  the  elementary  principles  of  law  and 
justice,  and  his  systematic  treachery.  His  distaste  for 
letters  aroused  in  him  such  a  hatred  of  all  those  dis- 
tinguished in  any  way  by  their  intellect,  that  it  became 
a  positive  vice. 

Constantia,  whom  he  married  in  313,  appears  to 
have  had  a  much  finer  character,  and  obtained  a 
pardon  from  Constantine  for  her  husband  on  one 
occasion  when  his  life  hung  in  the  balance.  Yet  we 
are  less  assured  of  her  virtues  than  of  her  husband's 
vices,  and  even  her  boasted  fidelity  to  the  orthodox 
creed  is  disputed  by  historians,  who  relate  that  she 
imbibed  the  Arian  heresy  from  an  unknown  priest 
of  immense  influence  a  few  years  after  her  husband's 
death. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  confirm  the  facts  of 
Licinius's  residence  at  Lecce  and  of  the  birth  of  a 
daughter  to  him,  as  with  these  data  established  the  fact 
of  martyrdom  becomes  by  no  means  incredible,  though 
the  matter  of  the  miraculous  lamps  requires  a  more 
fervent  faith.  There  is  also  a  perfectly  different  legend 
regarding  the  church  of  S.  Maria  della  Luce,  which 
is  given  at  a  later  period  in  this  book  (p.  74). 

This  story  of  the  two  virgin  martyrs  of  Lecce  con- 
cludes with  a  "  discourse  "  on  saints  in  general,  and 
another  flowing  poem  of  the  same  sort  as  that  already 
quoted  a  few  pages  back.  At  the  beginning  of  Regio's 
two  fat  volumes  is  a  list  of  the  martyrs  in  Southern 
Italy  during  the  early  centuries  of  Church  history,  and 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  75 

I  have  transcribed  the  entries  relating  to  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto : 

"  Christanto  e  Daria   Mart,   in  Oria 
Donatio  Vescovo  in   Leccio 
Epifania  Verg.  e   Martire  in  Otranto 
Francesco  Diracchino  in   Oria 
Ottocento  martiri  in   Otranto 
Pelino  Vesc.  et  Mart,  in   Brindisi." 

There  is,  however,  one  other  local  saint  who  has  a 
connection  with  Lecce  history,  as  it  is  to  him  that  its 
finest  church — built  by  Tancred — is  dedicated,  con- 
jointly with  St.  Nicholas. 

St.  Cataldus  was  born  in  Ireland,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, at  the  beginning  of  the  second  century  of  our 
era — "  dell'  Isola  d'  Ibernia,  sita  nell'  Oceano  Occiden- 
tale,  e  di  patria  della  Terra  di  Cataldo  di  Numenia, 
cosi  appellata."  Well  spoken,  Paolo  Regio;  those  last 
two  words  save  the  situation.  His  parents,  the  story 
continues,  were  named  Euchu  and  Athena,  and  "  lived 
together  in  honest  matrimony."  The  saint's  birth  was 
announced  by  a  slight  commotion  among  the  stars, 
and  this  aroused  the  attention  of  a  mage  who  for- 
tunately happened  to  be  in  the  district  just  at  the 
critical  moment,  and  who  prophesied  to  Athena  that 
her  child  would  one  day  become  famous.  In  boyhood 
he  was  passing  precocious,  so  that  his  fame  spread 
over  the  adjacent  island  of  Britain,  and  became  a  topic 
in  France  and  Germany.  Indeed,  all  Western  Europe 
seems  to  have  been  gazing  open-mouthed  at  Erin's 
brightest. 

From  St.  Patrick  he  learned  his  Christianity,  and 
soon  we  hear  of  him  building  a  church.  During  this 
operation  a  young  workman  was  killed,  and  his  re- 
suscitation was  St.  Cataldus's  first  miracle.  Shortly 
afterwards  it  was  followed  by  another,  a  soldier's  son 


76  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

being  brought  back  from  death.  The  overjoyed 
soldier  told  his  news  to  the  King— whoever  he  may 
have  been — and  that  monarch  promptly  clapped 
Cataldus  in  gaol  for  practising  magic.  That  same 
night  a  vision  of  two  angels  came  to  the  King.  One 
threatened  him  with  death  for  incarcerating  the  saint, 
the  other  offered  him  the  alternative  of  pardon  if 
he  presented  Cataldus  with  the  Duchy  of  Duke 
"  Meltride  "  (who  had  just  died).  Upset  by  his  dream, 
the  King  told  his  wife,  and  they  talked  it  over  in 
perplexity,  when,  lo !  the  very  next  morning  a 
messenger  arrived  post-haste  with  news  of  the  Duke's 
death.  Terrified  now,  the  King  gave  Cataldus  the 
Duchy,  and  at  the  same  time  created  him  Bishop 
of  Raphoe.  The  new  prelate  divided  his  new  domain 
into  twelve  bishoprics,  and  set  out  shortly  afterwards 
for  the  Holy  Land.  After  visiting  the  Sepulchre  and 
other  sacred  places,  he  was  told  in  a  vision  that  in- 
stead of  returning  to  Ireland  his  mission  was  to 
Taranto,  a  city  where  the  Gospel  had  first  been 
preached  by  Peter  and  Mark.  During  the  voyage 
there  a  storm  rose,  and  as  the  captain  of  the  ship  was 
adjusting  a  sail,  one  of  the  spars  fell  and  killed  him, 
but  Cataldus  came  to  the  rescue  and  brought  him 
back  to  life. 

A  bewildering  succession  of  miracles  marked  his 
long  residence  at  Taranto  and  his  death  in  that  city 
many  years  later,  nor  was  his  death  the  signal  for 
their  stoppage.  Archbishop  Drogon  found  his  body 
nine  or  ten  centuries  later  in  perfect  preservation, 
when  rebuilding  the  decayed  church  which  had  been 
its  casket.  Cataldus  is  the  most  improbable  and  the 
most  remarkable  figure  of  the  saints  in  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto,  and  it  is  unnecessary  to  go  any  deeper  into 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  ^^ 

his  credentials.  The  date  given  for  his  arrival  at 
Taranto,  i66  a.d.,  may  or  may  not  be  within  five 
centuries  of  actual  facts.  It  is  more  interesting  to 
know  that  his  contemporary  bishops  are  cited  by 
Regio :  Euperpio  of  Brindisi  and  Barsonufrio  of 
Lecce — the  pope  being  Anicetus. 

Nevertheless  these  old  legends  make  pleasant 
reading.  They  are  a  relief  after  endless  lists  of 
unimportant  battles  or  fruitless  conjectures  as  to 
uncertain  genealogies,  and  it  is  upon  them  that  the 
religious  faith  of  a  credulous  and  superstitious  people 
has  been  upraised. 

The  Roman  Amphitheatre 

We  have  at  Lecce  in  the  fine  Roman  amphitheatre 
now  being  excavated  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 
the  many  national  monuments  in  the  city.  There  are, 
as  we  have  seen  (p.  38),  numerous  underground 
passages  and  vaults  below  the  city,  but  it  was  not 
until  a  few  years  ago  that  their  real  nature  was  even 
suspected.  De  Simone,  clever  archaeologist  as  he 
was,  watched  the  excavations  under  the  Greco  house 
proceeding  in  1873  without  any  foresight  of  their 
importance.  In  1896  alterations  to  cellars  in  the  Via 
degli  Acaja  had  a  similar  result.  And  even  so  far 
back  as  the  early  sixteenth  century  we  have  Galateus 
writing  of  vast  subterranean  vaults  and  arches. 

Early  in  1900  a  considerable  remodelling  of  the 
south  side  of  the  Piazza  S.  Oronzo  was  commenced, 
the  large  block  known  as  the  Isola  del  Governatore 
being  removed  to  make  way  for  the  new  palace  of 
the  Banca  d'  Italia.  (See  plan  at  end  of  book.)  It 
very  soon  became  evident,  as  the  old  houses  came 
down,  that  a  discovery  of  unexpected  value  was  being 


78  IN   THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

made.  Professor  Cosimo  de  Giorgi  was  in  charge  of 
all  excavations  in  the  district,  so  that  the  work  came 
at  once  into  his  capable  hands.  In  1906  the  amphi- 
theatre was  declared  a  national  monument.  It  is 
now  possible  to  obtain  some  idea  of  its  former 
size,  and  fig.  6  shows  what  appears  above  ground. 
The  Professor  has  written  an  excellent  monograph 
on  the  subject,  illustrated  by  collotype  plates,  dia- 
grams, and  plans  of  the  amphitheatre ;  published  by 
the  Lecce  city  authorities. 

Many  carved  marble  fragments  have  been  found 
within  the  passages  underground,  and  from  these  he 
is  led  to  believe  that  it  is  a  work  of  the  second  century 
A.D.,  while  he  attributes  its  decay  to  the  periods 
between  the  sixth  and  tenth  centuries. 

The  level  of  the  piazza  may  possibly  have  been 
altered  to  some  extent  when  the  fountain  was  built 
therein  by  Mastro  Francesco  Antonio  Zimbalo  late 
in  the  sixteenth  century ;  or  where  the  fountain  was 
rebuilt  and  the  statue  of  S.  Oronzo  erected  by  his 
namesake  (see  p.  240)  many  years  later. 

At  the  present  day  excavations  are  slowly  pro- 
ceeding round  the  circuit  of  the  piazza,  below  ground 
except  at  the  entrance,  and  the  plan  of  the  whole 
amphitheatre  can  be  accurately  determined. 

Its  major  axis  is  102  metres,  minor  83 ;  the  arena, 
major  53,  minor  25.  Comparing  these  four  measure- 
ments with  those  of  more  celebrated  examples  we 
have  : 


Colosseum 

188  X  156 

arena 

86  X  54 

Capua 

170  X  140 

„ 

76  X  46 

Pompeii 

136  X  104 

11 

68  X  36 

Verona 

138  X  no 

II 

76  X  45 

Aries 

136  X  107 

— 

Nimes 

74  X    46 

— 

p.  78] 


6.       IN    THE    ROMAN    AMPHITHEATRE,    LECCE 


JM.  S.  B.  del. 


LECCE    UP   TO    NORMAN    TIMES  79 

The  Dark  Ages 

(C.    A.D.    250-1019) 

It  was  towards  the  middle  of  the  third  century  of 
our  era  that  a  great  change  took  place  in  the  fortunes 
of  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  For  five  hundred  years  the 
firm  rule  of  Rome  had  allayed  all  alarms  of  foreign 
invasion,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  district  had  de- 
veloped into  peaceful  farmers  and  merchants.  But  a 
cloud  was  gathering  on  the  Euxine.  During  the 
reign  of  the  capable  emperor  Decius  there  came  the 
first  threats  of  invasion  from  the  Goths,  fierce  and 
unknown  hordes  from  far  Scandinavia  who  had 
trekked  southwards  by  slow  stages  to  the  Ukraine, 
gathering  in  their  march  across  Russia  recruits  from 
the  finest  fighting  races  of  the  day.  In  Thrace  they 
first  came  to  blows  with  Rome,  while  another  con- 
tingent cruised  through  the  Hellespont  and  Bosphorus 
towards  the  Mediterranean.  Ignorant  of  navigation 
in  these  southern  seas,  dependent  on  the  questionable 
fidelity  of  hired  sailors,  they  nevertheless  sailed  un- 
dauntedly to  Piraeus  itself,  under  the  very  shadow 
of  Athens.  The  enfeebled  cities  of  Greece — Sparta 
and  Athens,  Corinth  and  Thebes — were  now  no 
longer  terrible  to  a  foe,  and  the  barbarians  spread 
over  the  country  till  from  its  western  shore  they 
could  see  in  the  purple  distance  the  smiling  land  of 
Italy  with  nothing  save  a  few  hours'  navigation  to 
separate  them  from  the  cities  nearest  to  them,  Lecce 
and  Otranto. 

Then — and  not  till  then — when  anxious  messengers 
were  thundering  up  the  Appian  Way  to  Rome  with 
news   of  the   imminent  scourge,  did  Gallienus,  most 


8o  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

indolent  of  emperors,  bestir  himself,  and  by  appearing 
himself  in  arms  check  the  enemy's  ardour.  Then,  and 
not  till  then,  did  the  invaders  realise  the  immense 
distance  they  had  travelled  from  their  base,  the  short- 
comings of  their  means  of  transport.  Back  they 
marched  to  the  Ukraine,  sacking  Troy  on  their 
journey,  and  revelling  in  the  hot  baths  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Haemus  in  Thrace.  So  passed  the  first 
shadow  from  the  Adriatic  shore,  but  it  was  fated 
to  come  again.  I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  record 
of  its  progress  during  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries, 
so  it  may  be  assumed  that  after  the  various  vicissi- 
tudes suffered  by  Italy  in  general  during  that  time, 
the  Terra  d'  Otranto  prospered  under  Theodoric 
(493-526),  whose  beneficent  reign  at  Ravenna  must 
have  made  itself  felt  on  all  the  eastern  coast  of  Italy. 

A  few  years  later  war  again  broke  out  in  Southern 
Italy.  Totila,  the  young  Gothic  king  of  Italy,  ascended 
his  throne  with  the  intention  of  restoring  his  kingdom, 
recently  diminished  by  the  valorous  campaign  of 
Belisarius  and  his  soldiers  from  Byzantium.  Reviewing 
his  little  army  of  5,000  men,  Totila  set  out  on  his  great 
exploit  in  542.  His  opponents  had  recently  been 
subjected  to  a  process  of  army  reform,  the  single  brain 
of  Belisarius  being  replaced  by  eleven  inferior  ones 
of  Greek  generals.  Persian  mercenaries  formed  a 
large  proportion  of  the  B^^zantine  force  in  Italy,  and 
fled  at  the  first  sound  of  battle  with  so  hardy  an 
adversary.  Ignoring  the  attractions  of  besieging 
Ravenna,  Florence,  and  Rome,  Totila  marched  through 
the  rocky  Apennine  chain  to  Naples,  which  he  quickly 
subdued.  Then  he  continued  his  progress  through 
the  southern  provinces,  Lecce  being  one  of  the  cities 
which  he  sacked  before  turning  northwards  to  Rome. 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  8i 

His  was  a  campaign  of  the  type  which  Cromwell 
called  "  thorough."  Violation  of  the  laws  of  war  by 
any  of  his  soldiers  was  inexorably  punished  with 
death,  and  humanity  was  apparent  in  all  his  dealings 
with  a  vanquished  foe. 

"The  strong  towns  he  successively  attacked;  and 
as  soon  as  they  had  yielded  to  his  arms,  he  demolished 
the  fortifications,  to  save  the  people  from  the  calamities 
of  a  future  siege,  to  deprive  the  Romans  of  the  arts 
of  defence,  and  to  decide  the  tedious  quarrel  of  the 
two  nations  by  an  equal  and  honourable  conflict  in 
the  field  of  battle.  The  Roman  captives  and  deserters 
were  tempted  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  a  liberal  and 
courteous  adversary  ;  the  slaves  were  attracted  by  the 
firm  and  faithful  promise  that  they  should  never  be 
delivered  to  their  masters "  (Gibbon's  *'  Decline  and 
Fall,"  Vol.  IV.  ch.  xli.  p.  472). 

Five  years  after  this,  Lecce  again  fell  before  the 
Greeks,  who  may  possibly  have  been  led  by  Belisarius, 
now  again  in  command  of  the  Byzantine  army.  Totila 
again  appeared  in  549  and  once  more  sacked  the 
city,  which,  however,  seems  to  have  remained  subject 
to  the  Eastern  Emperor.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
recorded  that  on  August  13,  544,  Justinian  published 
a  "  Pragmatic  Sanction,"  in  which  he  confirmed  all  the 
gifts  made  in  previous  years  to  the  Church.  It  appears 
from  a  clause  in  this  that  he  had  given  her  Lecce  and 
Gallipoli,  finding  them  to  be  towns  of  no  strategic 
value,  lying  as  they  did  in  fiat,  open  country,  close 
to  a  coast  only  too  accessible  to  hostile  fleets  of  every 
kind.  To  be  sacked  three  times  in  seven  years,  as 
Lecce  was,  shows  clearly  enough  its  vulnerability  to 
attack  either  by  land  or  sea. 

6 


82  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

At  the  end  of  the  century  we  again  have  a  picture 
of  Lecce  in  parlous  pHght.  The  Popes  had  a  system  of 
taxation  of  their  own,  ordaining  what  their  territories 
should  pay  in  kind,  but  also  engaged  to  maintain  the 
ordinary  Imperial  laws  with  certain  canonical  modifi- 
cations, and  to  supply  "  homines  patrimonii  "  devoted 
to  the  Emperor's  service,  who  would  protect  him  in 
case  of  need.  In  599  Pope  Gregory  ("  the  Great ") 
wrote  to  Occiliano,  the  Tribune  of  Otranto,  concerning 
the  heavy  charges  with  which  his  predecessor  Viatore 
had  placed  on  the  citizens  of  Lecce  ("  ingenui  et  liberi 
homines  Romani"),  telling  how  they  had  laid  complaints 
through  the  mouth  of  their  bishop  Sabino  (or  Sabiniano) 
that  Lecce  was  the  property  of  the  Roman  Church, 
but  that  only  a  few  citizens  remained  to  inhabit  it. 
These  poor  folk  had  been  heavily  overtaxed,  and 
would  have  abandoned  the  place  only  that  the 
Lombards  would  then  have  occupied  it.  It  hence 
appears  that  the  "  Privilegio  Imperatoris "  allowed 
the  Pope  less  power  here  than  in  Gallipoli,  for 
whereas  in  the  former  case  he  asks  as  a  favour  of 
the  Tribune  at  Otranto  that  his  wishes  be  followed, 
in  the  latter  case  he  issues  orders  and  commands,  as 
we  know  from  documents  still  extant.^ 

About  this  time  the  "  city  "  was  devastated  by  a 
plague,  though  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  after  such 
a  succession  of  calamities  there  was  any  city  left  to 
devastate  beyond  a  few  wretched  huts. 

The  conquest  of  the  greater  part  of  Italy  by  Alboin 
the  Lombard  king  (568-70)  had  some  effect  on  Lecce 
and  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  Pratilli  remarks  that  up  to 
the  coming  of  Constantine  III.,  who  landed  at  Taranto 

'  For  an  excellent  account  of  the  way  in  which  Gregory  administered 
the  papal  finances  see  Gibbon,  Vol,  V.  ch.  xlv.  p.  43. 


LECCE    UP    TO    NORMAN    TIMES  83 

in  663  to  oppose  the  Lombards,  the  boundaries  of  their 
duchy  of  Beneventum  which  they  held  were  those  of 
the  Tarentine  region,  so  that  Oria,  Brindisi,  Lecce, 
Nardo,  Gallipoli,  Ugento,  and  Alessano,  and  all  the 
Capo  di  Leuca — in  fact,  the  whole  Terra  d'  Otranto — 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Greeks.  In  680 
Romualdo,  Duke  of  Beneventum,  held  Taranto, 
Brindisi,  and  the  whole  province,  but  Gallipoli  and 
Otranto  may  still  have  been  left  to  the  Church.  Lecce 
undoubtedly  was  under  the  Lombards  for  some  time, 
as  is  patent  from  the  many  documents  in  their 
language  in  the  Vescovado  there.  The  adjoining 
city  of  Manduria  is  said  to  have  been  destroyed  by 
them  in  694,  one  '*  Reparatus  "  being  bishop,  so  it  was 
apparently  not  under  their  rule  at  that  date.  Their 
name  occurs  in  Norman  fiefs  up  to  the  Middle  Ages. 
Charlemagne,  in  his  conquest  of  Italy,  reached  the 
southern  coasts  in  773,  and  after  the  battle  of  Chiuse 
di  Susa  restored  Lecce  to  the  Church.  The  city  thus 
recovered  the  use  of  Roman  laws  and  letters. 

During  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries  all  the  towns 
near  the  Adriatic  and  Mediterranean  coasts  were 
harried  by  Saracen  corsairs,  a  foe  more  cruel  and 
ruthless  than  any  which  had  ravaged  these  harassed 
shores.  Almost  annually  there  issued  from  the  strong 
shelter  of  Palermo  harbour  formidable  squadrons  or 
smaller  flotillas  for  acts  of  piracy  and  rapine,  the 
larger  fleets  being  usually  mobilised  on  the  African 
coasts.  At  Bari,  barely  a  hundred  miles  north  of 
Lecce,  they  actually  established  a  sultan,  who  was 
not  dislodged  till  an  offensive  alliance  had  been 
concluded  between  Basil  the  Macedonian  and  Lewis, 
the  great-grandson  of  Charlemagne,  the  former  sup- 
plying galleys   and  cavalry,  the   latter   infantry.      In 


84  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  pages  of  Gibbon  are  related  stories  of  tlie  Saracens' 
cruelty  so  barbarous  and  revolting  that  one  could 
wish  they  were  less  truthful  than  most  of  his  facts. 
After  the  siege  and  fall  of  Bari  the  Greek  Emperor 
once  more  resumed  his  sway  over  the  Terra  d'  Otranto, 
which  was  part  of  the  new  theme  of  Lombardy,  placed 
under  a  "  catapan  "  or  governor.  From  914  to  944 
Lecce  was  ruled  by  Berengarius  I.  and  II.,  kings  of 
Italy,  and  after  the  latter's  defeat  was  given  by  Otho 
the  Great  to  the  Church,  under  whose  rule  it  remained 
for  many  years. 

We  now  close  the  earlier  part  of  the  city's  story 
to  turn  to  the  era  in  which  it  emerged  from  a  shadowy 
existence  as  part  of  a  debatable  land  to  become  the 
capital  of  a  province  under  one  of  the  most  vigorous 
and  interesting  races  in  any  period  of  history.  The 
long  record  of  spoliation  and  pillage  ceases,  and  we 
enter  on  the  lists  of  chivalry  and  knightly  tales. 

Lecce,  at  the  end  of  the  ninth  century,  is  described 
by  Guido  da  Ravenna,  an  unsubstantial  geographer 
of  that  day  about  whom  all  the  doctors  disagree.  He 
tells  us  that  its  ruins  consisted  of  a  theatre  and  many 
other  vestiges  of  antiquity.  But  Lecce,  as  we  next 
see  it,  will  be  the  centre  of  a  gay  court,  resounding 
with  the  martial  clatter  of  joust  and  tourney. 


CHAPTER   III 

LECCE   UNDER   THE   NORMANS 
(1019 — 1200) 

The  history  of  Southern  Italy  in  the  Dark  Ages  was 
dark  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  There  were,  it 
is  true,  occasional  gleams  of  something  brighter, 
temporary  periods  of  prosperity  such  as  were  ex- 
perienced under  the  Lombards  or  under  Theodoric. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  eleventh  century  the 
Greek  theme  of  Lombardy  included  all  that  part  of 
the  peninsula  south  of  a  line  drawn  from  Mount 
Garganus  to  the  Bay  of  Salerno.  Recovered,  as  we 
have  seen,  by  Basil  the  Macedonian,  this  still  survived 
under  its  catapan  or  governor,  the  last  remnant  of 
the  Eastern  Empire.  North  of  it  lay  the  territories 
of  the  independent  counts  of  Naples  and  the  republic 
of  Amalfi.  Sicily,  held  by  the  Moslems,  formed 
part  of  the  kingdom  of  Tunis.  But  the  rule  of 
the  catapan  was  no  security  against  Saracen  inroads, 
and  in  the  seabound  cities  (among  which  we  may 
include  Lecce)  there  was  a  pitiful  contrast  between 
the  state  of  affairs  at  this  time  and  that  which  had 
prevailed  in  the  glorious  age  of  Pythagoras  and 
Magna  Graecia.     So  much  for  the  existing  condition 

85 


86  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

of  things  when  the  Normans  first  appeared  on  the 
scene. 

At  least  it  is  fairer  to  say  that  this  was  their  first 
important  appearance,  just  as  there  is  an  '*  absolutely 
last  appearance  "  of  every  great  musician  after  many 
farewell  concerts.  The  Northmen  were  no  strangers 
to  the  Mediterranean  even  in  the  eighth  century,  and 
had  joined  in  the  general  picnic  of  pirates  on  its 
defenceless  coasts.  However,  it  was  not  till  the  year 
1019  that  some  Normans  of  a  more  pious  turn  of 
mind  were  afflicted  with  a  desire  to  visit  the  cave 
of  Mount  Garganus  in  Apulia,  where,  said  tradition, 
the  archangel  Michael  had  once  descended  to  earth. 
"  If  the  archangel  inherited  the  temple  and  oracle, 
perhaps  the  cavern,  of  old  Calchas  (the  soothsayer) 
the  Catholics  (on  this  occasion)  have  surpassed  the 
Greeks  in  the  elegance  of  their  superstition."  Thus 
Gibbon  the  cynic — but  let  us  to  our  cavern.  A 
stranger  in  a  Greek  habit  met  these  militant  pilgrims, 
and,  being  greatly  struck  by  the  apparent  muscularity 
of  their  Christianity,  discoursed  to  them  of  his  pitiful 
plight.  He  was  a  noble  of  Bari,  Melo  by  name, 
bitterly  opposed  to  the  court  of  Byzantium,  an  en- 
forced exile  from  his  home  compelled  to  seek  fresh 
allies.  Whether  his  misfortunes  appealed  to  the 
Normans  we  know  not :  they  were  of  all  men  most 
addicted  to  hard  bargains,  but  at  any  rate  a  bargain 
was  struck,  and  thus  it  was  that  the  first  Norman 
mercenaries  landed  in  Italy.  Defeated  at  first  by 
superior  numbers,  they  clung  to  the  fastnesses  of  the 
Southern  Apennines,  ready  for  the  beck  and  call 
of  any  who  would  pay  them  well.  So  useful  were 
they  to  the  Duke  of  Naples  that  in  1030  he  established 
them  at  Aversa,  only  eight  miles  from  his  own  city. 


LECCE    UNDER   THE    NORMANS  87 

Their  progress  was  rapid  enough  from  this  date,  and 
we  may  pause  to  glance  at  the  new  settlers  who  were 
to  have  so  great  an  influence  on  these  lands. 

As  in  almost  every  case  where  an  old  race  is  sup- 
planted by  a  new  one,  the  invaders  were  an  essentially 
military  people,  well  organised  by  their  feudal  system, 
religiously  inclined,  rigorous  to  the  point  of  cruelty. 
They  are  thus  described  by  a  historian  of  the  day, 
Malaterra,  who  is  obviously  biassed : 

"  The  Normans  are  a  cunning  and  revengeful  people  ; 
eloquence  and  dissimulation  appear  to  be  their  heredi- 
tary qualities :  they  can  stoop  to  flatter ;  but  unless 
they  are  curbed  by  the  restraint  of  law,  they  indulge 
the  licentiousness  of  nature  and  passion.  Their  princes 
afifect  the  praise  of  popular  munificence ;  the  people 
observe  the  medium,  or  rather  blend  the  extremes, 
of  avarice  and  prodigality ;  and,  in  their  eager  thirst 
of  wealth  and  dominion,  they  despise  whatever  they 
possess,  and  hope  whatever  they  desire.  Arms  and 
horses,  the  luxury  of  dress,  the  exercises  of  hunting 
and  hawking,  are  the  delight  of  the  Normans ;  but  on 
pressing  occasions  they  can  endure  with  incredible 
patience  the  inclemency  of  every  climate  and  the  toil 
and  abstinence  of  a  military  life." 

Such  were  the  soldiers  destined  to  be  the  new 
sovereigns  of  the  Terra  d'  Otranta.  Their  chance 
soon  came,  and  they  took  it  as  they  took  everything 
that  their  fancy  dictated.  In  1038  they  had  been 
hired  by  Maniaces,  catapan  of  Lombardy,  to  assist 
in  driving  the  Turks  from  Sicily.  They  fulfilled  their 
commission,  but  found  in  their  employer  a  head  as 
hard  as  any  of  their  own ;  a  quarrel  ensued  as  to  the 
division  of  the  spoils,  and  the  Normans  left  in  high 
dudgeon,  revenge  deep-seated  in  their  hearts.     A  little 


88  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

time  for  organisation  and  mobilising,  for  adding  to 
their  attractive  standard  all  the  reckless  flotsam  of 
disturbed  Italy,  and  then  with  flags  flying  they  marched 
to  the  conquest  of  Apulia.  The  campaign  was  a  long 
series  of  triumphs  for  them — triumphs  hastened  by 
dissensions  in  the  councils  of  the  Greeks.  In  one 
battle  after  another  the  odds  were  ten  to  one  against 
the  Normans,  yet  never  a  defeat  occurred,  and  in  three 
years  the  whole  province  lay  at  their  feet. 

Bari  and  three  other  cities  chose  William  Ironarm, 
one  of  the  great  Hauteville  family,  as  Count  of  Apulia, 
and  from  this  beginning  sprang  their  great  aristocratic 
republic  of  Apulia,  with  twelve  subordinate  counts. 
Of  the  whole  province  only  Bari,  Otranto,  Brindisi 
and  Taranto  were  saved  from  the  shipwreck  of  Greek 
fortunes,  according  to  Gibbon,  and,  as  we  have  said, 
Bari  soon  proclaimed  its  independence  of  the  Emperor. 
Lecce  appears  to  have  been  taken  by  the  Normans, 
for  in  1046  we  read  of  its  recapture  by  the  Varangian 
guards  from  Constantinople.  The  Varangian  guards 
were  themselves  Norman  mercenaries,  so  in  this 
engagement  they  were  fighting  their  own  kith  and 
kin. 

The  Normans  of  Apulia  in  this  year  became  feuda- 
tories of  the  Western  Empire,  and  as  part  of  this 
agreement  were  conceded  the  adjoining  duchy  of 
Beneventum.  A  few  years  later  the  two  Emperors 
of  West  and  East  joined  with  the  Pope  to  drive  them 
out  of  Italy,  but  their  efforts  were  unavailing ;  they 
became  fiefs  of  the  Holy  See  and  a  recognised  power 
in  the  land. 

In  1055  three  more  of  the  Hauteville  family  arrived 
on  the  scene,  one  of  whom  holds  a  prominent  place 
in  the  Lecce  story.     There  is  surely  no  more  striking 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  89 

example  of  the  despotism  wielded  by  one  family  than 
in  the  case  of  the  Hautevilles.  Tancred  their  sire 
was  a  soldier  who  some  time  before  1040  left  his 
castle  of  Hauteville-le-Guichard  near  far  Coutances 
to  seek  his  fortune  on  the  unknown  shores  of  Apulia. 
Successful  beyond  all  expectation,  he  was  able  to 
divide  the  fruits  of  his  enterprise  among  a  prolific 
family  of  at  least  twelve  sons,  no  statistics  as  to 
daughters  existing,  though  of  daughters  there  were 
several.  Of  these  sons  William,  the  eldest,  was  the 
first  Count  of  Apulia,  others  were  Counts  of  various 
cities ;  Robert  (afterwards  named  "  Guiscard  ")  became 
the  most  famous,  and  Geoffrey  or  Godfrey  is  to  us 
by  far  the  most  interesting,  since  he  became  the  first 
Count  of  Lecce. 

It  is  unlikely  that  when  he  assumed  the  new  creation 
in  1055  that  Lecce  was  a  place  of  great  importance. 
It  was  a  town  probably  of  the  same  size  as  Otranto 
or  Brindisi,  but  without  the  shipping  which  enhanced 
their  value.  In  the  same  year  that  Lecce  obtained 
its  position  as  the  seat  of  a  count,  the  Normans 
marched  farther  south  into  the  heel  of  Italy  and 
added  Gallipoli  and  Otranto  to  their  dominions.  From 
this  date  the  Eastern  Emperor  and  his  catapan  trouble 
us  no  more.  For  many  centuries  Lecce  passes  by 
succession  through  famous  feudal  families,  till  at  last 
it  comes  under  the  sway  of  Spain. 

A  little  desultory  fighting  followed  the  Norman 
establishment  in  the  peninsula,  and  between  1058 
and  1060  it  is  possible  that  the  Greeks  may  actually 
have  held  the  maritime  cities  of  the  Terra  d' Otranto 
for  a  short  time,  but  Lecce,  probably  as  a  garrisoned 
centre,  seems  to  have  escaped. 

Count  Godfrey  of  Lecce  was  not  left  in  peace   to 


90  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

enjoy  his  new  dignity.  His  young  twin  nephews 
Bohemund  and  Roger  were  at  war  with  one  another 
a  few  years  later,  and  the  former,  coming  from  his 
possessions  in  the  East  (where  as  lieutenant  he  left 
a  citizen  of  Lecce,  curiously  enough,  one  Giliberto 
de'  Gothi)  attacked  Otranto.  Count  Godfrey's  sym- 
pathies were  all  with  Roger,  and  he  sent  two  of  his 
numerous  brothers  with  troops  to  garrison  Otranto. 
Bohemund,  however,  was  too  strong  for  them,  flung 
aside  all  obstacles  in  his  path,  and  soon  found  himself 
in  the  proud  and  unique  position  of  besieging  three 
uncles  at  one  and  the  same  time  in  Lecce.  Either 
the  three  united  were  too  strong  for  him,  or  the 
walls  too  high  :  at  all  events  he  abandoned  his  enter- 
prise and  essayed  less  perilous  conquests  in  the 
neighbouring  cities. 

The  twins  divided  the  disputed  territory,  Bohemund 
taking  Oria,  Otranto,  Gallipoli,  various  lands  as  far 
as  Siponto,  and  the  title  of  Prince  of  Taranto.  In 
1092  he  left  Italy  at  rest,  setting  out  a  little  later  on 
the  first  Crusade,  engineered  by  Peter  the  Hermit. 

A  more  peaceful  visitor  of  these  days  to  Lecce 
was  St,  Nicholas  the  Pilgrim,  a  saint  of  Trani,  who, 
landing  at  Otranto,  rested  at  a  little  chapel  dedicated 
to  St.  Demetrius  outside  the  city  walls,  which  up  to 
comparatively  recent  times  was  still  standing.  The 
Mediterranean  countries  were  overrun  with  pilgrims 
of  every  sort,  and  the  Crusades  had  a  great  effect  on 
life  in  all  the  adjoining  towns. 

The  first  ninety  years  of  the  Counts  of  Lecce  are 
devoid  of  incident.  There  were  "marriage  and  giving 
in  marriage,"  wars  and  rumours  of  wars,  but  no 
records  seem  to  have  survived  beyond  endless  genea- 
logical  tables — endless    lists   of  prolific   and  for   the 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  91 

most  part  legitimate  families — and  lines  of  unim- 
portant battle  dates.  But  the  position  of  the  Count 
had  strengthened.  From  a  simple  seigneur  of  the 
days  when  the  Apulian  Republic  came  into  being,  he 
had  become  Lord  of  Lecce,  as  an  old  document 
proves  : 

"  Accardus  Lytii  dominus,  Goffridusque  filius  ac 
Tancredus  rex,"  etc. 

Accardus  being  one  of  the  two  or  three  inter- 
mediate Counts  between  Godfrey,  the  first  of  that 
name,  and  Robert,  of  whose  court  I  will  now  en- 
deavour to  give  a  sketch.  Of  his  career  it  is  less 
easy  and  less  profitable  to  discourse.  In  early  life 
he  played  no  ignoble  part  as  a  soldier,  at  one  time 
under  one  Norman  leader,  then  under  another.  Civil 
wars  ravaged  Apulia  between  1127  and  11 39,  and 
Robert  seems  to  have  greatly  enriched  himself  thereby 
at  the  expense  of  his  relations,  and  to  have  raised  his 
lordship  to  something  much  more  than  the  bare  title 
of  Count.  His  dominions  certainly  included  many 
places  which  his  predecessors  can  never  have  ruled. 
Some  of  these  must  have  previously  belonged  to 
the  elder  branch  of  his  family,  the  house  of  Con- 
versano. 

Life  at  Lecce  when  Robert  had  his  court  there 
must  have  been  the  gayest  of  the  gay.  Events  here- 
abouts were  settling  down,  and  the  Norman  knights 
who  had  so  hardly  earned  their  leisure  now  revelled 
in  it  to  the  full.  There  was  no  part  of  Italy  in  those 
days  better  suited  to  the  requirements  of  pleasure 
than  the  Terra  d'Otranto,  and  no  place  in  it  where 
tne  climate  was  as  pleasant  as  at  Lecce,  safely  removed 


92 


IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 


from  the  malarial  coast.  Moreover,  Robert  was  rich, 
and  lavishly  dispensed  immense  sums  on  banquets, 
tourneys,  and  all  the  trappings  of  an  elegant  and 
showy  existence.  Here  was  gathered  the  pick  of 
Apulian  chivalry,  reinforced  by  other  gallant  knights 
on  their  way  to  or  from  the  Crusades,  only  too 
pleased  to  break  their  journey  and  feast  their  senses 
on  the  long  journey  between  France  and  the  Holy 
Land.  Merchants  from  the  East,  pilgrims  from  the 
West,  all  met  in  the  gay  streets  of  Lecce. 


TANCRED  DE  HAUTEVILLE 
married 
(i)  Muriel  — ^^^~-  (2)  Fransenda 


William    Drogon    Humphrey   Geoffrey   Serlon   Robert    Five    Roger  Several 


("  Iron- 
arm  ") 


(ist  Count 
of  Lecce) 

I 

Geoffrey 

(3rd  Count 

of  Lecce) 

m.  Sighelgaita 

Robert 

(4th  Count 

of  Lecce) 

I 


(Guis- 
card) 


other 


Bohemund     Roger 


Sybil  =  Roger 

(did  not  marry) 

1 145 


Tancred 

Count  of  Lecce, 

K.  of  Sicily, 

in.  Sybil 


William, 
d.  115- 


daughters 


Count  Roger  IL 

K.  of  Sicily 

1 130 


William  I.  ("  the  Bad") 
K.  of  Sicily 


William  n.("  the  Good") 
K.  of  Sicily 


Roger,  William  IIL  Albiria  Madonia 

771.  1 191  K.  of  Sicily         w.  (i)  Walter  IIL  of  Brienne  ;  w.  Robert 

d.  1 193  (2)  Sanseverino  ;  Visconti 

{3)  Palatino 


{For  the  Britnnes  see  Table  011  p.  139-) 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  93 

At   Palermo  was   another  Norman  court,  the   seat 
of  King    Roger    II.   of    Sicily,    who    had    held    that 
throne   since    11 30.      He   had   two   sons,    Roger   and 
William,  and  was,  like  Robert  of  Lecce,  a  descendant 
of    Tancred   de    Hauteville.      But    in   the    palace   at 
Palermo  the  old  influence  of  the  Saracens  was  stronger 
than  the  more  recent  one  of  the  Christians.     William 
was    brought    up    there,   and   in    after-life   his   early 
training   helped  to  earn    him   his  sobriquet  of  '*  The 
Bad,"   for  one   of  his   weaknesses   was   a   full-blown 
sultan's  harem,  whence  his  advisers  had  often  to  drag 
him    by   force   on   the   eve   of    some   decisive   battle. 
King  Roger  realised  the  evil  influences  which  such 
surroundings  might  have  on  his  sons,  and  cast  about 
him  for  some  place  in  which  the  elder  might  be  taught 
all  that  an  heir-apparent  should  know.     He  had  not 
far  to  seek.     His  kinsman,  Robert  of  Lecce,  was  held 
by  all  who  knew  him  to  be  so  accomplished  a  knight 
and  so  competent  a  connoisseur  of  all  matters  of  taste 
and  elegance  that  the  king  could  have  chosen  for  his 
son   no   more    reliable   guide    and    no   more    perfect 
model.      It   only   remained   for   the    young   Duke   of 
Apulia — for   this  was  Roger's  title — to  acquire   those 
brilliant  exterior  gifts  which  often  ensure  popularity 
rather    than    the     more    solid    virtues.      The    latter 
qualities   were    by    no   means    lacking    in   him,   and, 
young    as    he     was,    several    brilliant     engagements 
crowned    with    success    had    already    won    him    the 
reputation   of  a   resourceful,  brave,   and   experienced 
soldier. 

It  was  he  who  in  11 39  had  by  a  daring  coup  de 
main  become  possessed  of  the  person  of  Innocent 
the  Second,  and  thus  ended  the  long  strife  between 
that  bigoted   pontiff  and  his  house  ;    he  also,  who  a 


94  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

few  years  later,  by  vanquishing  all  that  remained  of 
the  defenders  of  Lombard  autonomy  in  the  bleak 
gorges  of  Molise,  had  closed  a  romantic  conquest  by 
a  gallant  exploit. 

Valiant,  generous,  and  attractive,  surrounded  by  all 
the  prestige  that  power  and  success  can  bring,  Roger 
soon  became  the  idol  of  this  little  court  to  which  he 
had  come  to  seek  the  polish  of  knightly  manners,  the 
only  thing  lacking  in  his  rich  and  vigorous  nature.  But 
alas  for-his  inexperience  in  other  matters!  Surrounded 
by  seductions  of  every  kind,  his  heart  was  beyond 
his  control.  It  was  only  to  be  expected  that  he 
would  be  naturally  drawn  and  captivated  by  the 
maiden  who  was  already  known  to  her  contem- 
poraries as  "  Sybil  the  Beautiful,"  the  daughter  of 
Count  Robert  himself.  He  was  not  slow  in  falling 
violently  in  love  with  her,  and,  either  through  ambition 
or  through  mutual  attraction,  she  at  last  responded 
to  his  wishes.  Born  of  a  Greek  mother,  Sybil  had 
inherited  from  her  the  warm  and  voluptuous  tem- 
perament of  the  East,  and  her  burning  passion  in 
the  end  destroyed  the  object  of  her  affections. 

After  three  years  of  wild  indulgence,  she  realised 
one  terrible  day  with  a  shock  that  her  beloved  was 
rapidly  approaching  his  grave,  consumed  by  a 
lingering  disease.  The  blow  was  the  more  crushing 
for  her  as  two  children  had  been  born,  and  at  the 
death  of  Roger  their  happiness  and  their  future  would 
alike  go  to  the  winds. 

Then  there  was  another  serious  side  to  the  case. 
Count  Robert  had  so  cleverly  concealed  his  daughter's 
misconduct,  hoping  that  he  would  one  day  see  her 
mounting  the  steps  of  the  Sicilian  throne,  that  the  King 
learned  at  the  same  time  of  his  son's  desperate  state, 


I'y  Dr.  Haseloff'. 


8.       S.    NICOLO    E    CATAI.nO,    I.ECCE  :     INTERIOR 
(By  permission  of  the  Prussian  Historical   Institute,   Rome) 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  95 

and  of  the  causes  which  had  brought  it  about.  Angry 
and  uneasy,  he  demanded  his  recall— but  it  was  too 
late,  and  the  Duke  was  past  all  human  aid.  Hardly 
had  he  touched  Sicilian  soil  when  it  became  apparent 
that  his  end  was  near.  The  King  made  all  haste  to 
Messina  that  he  might  at  least  gather  his  dying  son  in 
his  arms.  On  his  deathbed  the  Prince  used  all  his 
power  to  allay  his  father's  wrath.  He  succeeded.  The 
King,  wrung  by  his  dying  prayers,  agreed  to  acknow- 
ledge the  union,  and  dispatched  to  Lecce  one  of  his 
trusted  counsellors,  the  Lord  of  Ventimiglia,  with  a 
commission  to  marry  Robert's  daughter  by  proxy. 
Unfortunately  he  was  too  late.  Ventimiglia  had 
barely  covered  half  his  journey  when  young  Roger 
breathed  his  last.  The  ambassador  was  recalled  in 
urgent  words. 

Then,  all  his  momentary  tenderness  gone  from  him, 
the  King  let  loose  the  flood-gates  of  a  bitter  and 
vindictive  spirit.  Rapidly  collecting  a  strong  force, 
he  placed  his  surviving  son  William  in  command, 
and  dispatched  him  to  Lecce  with  carte  blanche  to 
treat  the  city  and  its  inhabitants  as  suited  his  taste. 
Robert  was  expecting  measures  of  revenge  to  be 
taken,  and  was  himself  preparing  for  siege.  He 
wrote  to  his  relatives  at  Clarenza  for  reinforcements, 
and  meanwhile  strengthened  his  fortifications.  A  long 
and  weary  siege  ensued,  William  ravaging  all  the 
surrounding  country  and  utterly  destroying  Rusce, 
Vaste,  Baleso,  Columito,  and  other  villages  of  which 
not  even  a  trace  remains.  Robert  began  to  realise 
that  his  situation  was  becoming  desperate.  One 
night  when  the  cordon  round  the  city  had  begun  to 
grow  careless,  a  little  party  silently  issued  forth 
cloaked    in    darkness,    taking    advantage    of    every 


96  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

shelter,  perhaps  even  of  the  underground  passages 
that  still  existed.  The  old  man  with  the  proud 
figure  is  the  Count  of  Lecce,  flying  from  a  lost  cause  ; 
with  him  is  Sybil  the  Beautiful — now  Sybil  the 
Sorrowing — and  her  two  babes,  whom  she  has  named 
Tancred  and  William.  Down  to  the  seashore  they 
went  in  the  veil  of  night,  and  made  the  best  of  their 
hazardous  journey  to  Otranto,  where  a  boat  sent  by 
their  friends  from  Clarenza  awaited  them.  A  fierce 
tempest  endangered  their  crossing,  but  at  length 
they  landed  in  Greece,  none  the  worse  for  their 
adventure,  to  receive  warm  greetings  and  a  kindly 
shelter  from  misfortune.  It  was  not  long  before 
Sybil  consoled  herself  by  marrying  again,  on  this 
occasion  the  doughty  Jacques  de  Lusignan,  whose 
even  more  famous  brother  Guy  was  that  King  of 
Cyprus  who  took  such  a  brilliant  part  in  the 
Crusades.  It  is  not  likely  that  Robert  ever  ventured 
to  appear  in  Lecce  again.  He  was  already  a  man  of 
many  years,  and  probably  died  in  his  retreat  in  Greece. 
But  what  of  Lecce  in  the  meantime  ?  The  city 
had  fared  ill.  Rusce  had  fallen,  Robert  had  fled, 
divided  counsels  were  disturbing  the  defenders. 
Famine  and  all  the  horrors  of  a  long  siege  were 
beginning  to  be  felt  within  the  walls.  William  was 
not  reputed  tender-hearted,  but  little  did  the  besiegers 
realise  what  lay  in  store  for  them  when  at  last  they 
yielded  up  their  arms.  Biagio  di  Gravina  relates  that 
the  city  was  abandoned  to  fire  and  sword,  its  buildings 
razed  to  the  ground,  its  inhabitants  massacred  without 
regard  to  age  or  sex,  and  a  great  mass  of  booty 
carried  away  to  Sicily.  It  was  not  ninety  years  since 
it  had  last  been  beleaguered,  but  so  far  as  we  know 
they  had  been  years  of  wonderful   progress.      Thus 


9-       S.    NICOI.O    E    CATALDO,    LECCE  :    1-RINCIPAL    DOORWAY 


P-   96J 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  97 

was  the  gay  city  of  Lecce,  the  seat  of  a  brilliant  and 
chivalrous  court,  innocent  of  any  political  or  personal 
crime,  made  to  suflfer  massacre  and  every  imaginable 
agony  for  the  sake  of  a  thoughtless  act,  and  literally 
wiped  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Over  in  Greece  were  the  two  children  still  left  to 
carry  on  the  memory  of  that  city,  but  at  some  time 
early  in  their  childhood  they  were  seized  by  their 
jealous  grandfather.  King  Roger,  and  brought  up 
under  his  eye  in  the  palace  at  Palermo. 

Here  their  characters  began  to  develop  under  the 
strict  supervision  which  was  kept  over  them,  and 
which  lasted  after  William  the  Bad  succeeded  his 
father  on  the  throne  of  Sicily.  William,  the  elder  of 
the  two,  was  the  family  Esau,  brave,  warm-hearted, 
and  handsome,  bidding  fair  to  become  a  gallant  knight, 
but  destined  to  die  before  he  had  reached  his  prime. 
Tancred,  on  the  other  hand,  v^^s par  excellence  a  student, 
gifted  with  an  active  and  retentive  mind.  All  kinds 
of  knowledge  were  acceptable  to  him,  and  his  favourite 
branches  were  mathematics,  astronomy,  and  music. 
Of  these  three  subjects,  the  old  writers  assure  us,  he 
knew  as  much  as  any  man  living!  His  was  a  shy 
and  retiring  disposition,  very  different  from  his 
brother's.  His  friends  regarded  him  as  intended  for 
the  quiet  life  of  a  cloistered  recluse,  but  later  learned 
that  the  mind  of  a  student  is  not  of  necessity  unfitted 
to  adorn  the  body  of  a  warrior. 

There  was  great  dissatisfaction  at  the  court  of 
Palermo.  King  William  was  hated  even  by  his 
minions  and  admired  by  none.  Like  the  rois  faineant 
of  France  he  had  delegated  his  power  to  a  favourite, 
who  met  an  early  death  by  assassination  about 
1 165.      A  great  and  far-reaching  plot  revealed  itself, 

7 


98  TN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

in  which  none  had  played  a  more  prominent  part 
than  Tancred  himself.  The  conspirators  had  to  fight 
for  their  lives,  but  after  heroic  efforts  were  at  last 
vanquished  by  the  King  and  granted  a  safe-conduct 
to  leave  the  country.  Tancred  went  to  Greece  for 
some  years,  and  then  on  the  accession  of  William 
the  Good  in  ii  66  was  recalled  to  Palermo.  King 
Roger's  grandson  seemed  to  wish  to  repair  his 
grandfather's  severity  to  Tancred,  and  heaped  favours 
on  him  with  a  prodigal  hand. 

He  restored  to  him  the  county  of  Lecce,  added  to 
it  some  of  his  own  territory,  found  him  a  wife  in 
Sybil  of  Madonia,  daughter  of  the  puissant  Count  of 
Acerra,  made  him  Grand  Constable,  and  entrusted 
him  with  the  command  of  two  important  military 
expeditions  in  1174  and  1184.  But  in  each  expedition, 
at  Alexandria  and  at  Thessalonica,  Tancred  was 
worsted ;  and  William  was  forced  to  seek  foreign 
aid  to  enable  him  to  retain  his  throne.  He  offered 
the  hand  of  Constance  his  aunt  to  the  Emperor 
Henry  VL,  and  Tancred  among  others  took  the  oath 
of  fidelity  to  them,  but,  being  shortly  afterwards 
elected  King  of  Sicily  by  the  Normans  on  his  cousin's 
death,  broke  it  again.  His  position  was  desperate. 
He  was  placed  on  an  insecure  throne  and  threatened 
by  a  formidable  antagonist,  for  Barbarossa  was  no 
roi  faineant.  His  eldest  son  had  died,  his  youngest 
was  an  infant-in-arms.  Sybil  the  Beautiful,  his  luck- 
less mother,  went  in  tears  to  Henry  and  begged  that 
at  least  the  grandchildren  might  be  left  the  inheritance 
of  Lecce.  The  Emperor  simulated  clemency,  gave 
her  what  she  asked,  and  off'ered  to  add  the  principality 
of  Taranto  to  his  gift,  but  it  was  only  an  illusory 
concession. 


LEECE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  99 

He  accused  the  Sicilian  king's  family  of  hatching 
a  plot  against  him,  seized  them  during  Tancred's 
absence  and  imprisoned  them  in  a  grim  donjon  in 
Lower  Germany.  It  was  not  Sybil  the  Beautiful 
who  now  found  herself  isolated  in  this  northern  land, 
but  her  namesake  of  Madonia,  who  was  Tancred's 
wife.  With  her  was  his  son  little  William  and  his 
sisters,  of  whom  Albiria  is  the  only  one  we  shall 
meet  again.  To  ensure  the  end  of  the  Hauteville 
family  with  this  generation,  the  cruel  Emperor 
mutilated  the  infant  William  so  terribly  that  he 
survived  only  a  short  time. 

So    Tancred   found   himself  with    his   back   to   the 
wall,   fighting   for   his  own  kingdom,  deprived  of  all 
those   he   loved.     Then  he  proved  himself  worthy  of 
all    the    high    traditions    of   his    family.      The    Pope 
looked  on  him  with  favour,  for  the  Barbarossa  party 
was  becoming  too  strong.     In  the  districts  of  Apulia 
round    his    own    county   of    Lecce    submission    was 
universal  (for  here  he  was  very  popular),  except  in  the 
case  of  the  powerful  Count  of  Andria.     But  in  Sicily 
anarchy  was  raging,  and  here  he  found  his  hardest 
work   to  lie.     Richard  Cceur-de-Lion  too  was  at  his 
door  with  an  army  of  Crusaders,  and  required  some 
attention.     For  a  moment   Lecce  may  be  left  to  take 
care  of  itself  while  we  witness   a   squabble   between 
these  two  powerful  sovereigns.     Richard  was  accom- 
panied by  Philip  Augustus  of  France.     Tancred   had 
the  best  of  reasons   for   disliking  both  of  the  twain, 
for  Richard  was   an   ally  of   Henry  Barbarossa,  and 
Philip's    sister    was    Joanna,  widow   of  William   the 
Good,  whose  inheritance  he  now  held.     The  circum- 
stances  of  their    meeting   too   at    Messina   were   un- 
fortunate.    Messina  had   begun   by  closing   its   gates 


100  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

against  the  visitors,  and  then,  we  are  told,  the 
arrogance  of  the  Enghsh  annoyed  the  SiciHans,  who 
refused  them  provisions  and  showed  their  resentment 
by  various  acts  of  provocation  or  revenge.  Messina 
and  the  neighbouring  towns  were  then  inhabited  by 
a  mixed  Greek  and  Saracen  race  whom  Enghsh 
historians  of  the  day  describe  by  the  strange  name  of 
"  Griffons."  Becoming  excited,  they  at  length  attacked 
the  lodging  of  Earl  March,  Richard's  vassal.  CcEur- 
de-Lion  leapt  into  his  saddle  and  charged  the  rabble 
unmercifully. 

Tancred,  who  had  now  arrived  on  the  scene,  met 
Richard  secretly,  flattered  him  judiciously  and  offered 
him  various  bribes.  He  suggested  that  his  daughter 
should  marry  Arthur  of  Brittany,  Richard's  heir,  and 
promised  to  ally  himself  with  the  latter  against  Philip 
Augustus,  with  whom  he  was  now  crusading  on  terms 
of  brotherly  amity.  All  these  things  seemed  exceed- 
ing good  in  Richard's  honest  eyes,  so,  cheerfully 
promising  the  aid  against  Barbarossa  which  was  his 
share  of  this  shifty  bargain,  he  sailed  gaily  away 
from  Messina. 

Tancred,  having  restored  order  in  Sicily,  returned 
to  Apulia  to  strengthen  the  wavering  allegiance  of 
his  vassals  there,  concluding  with  a  visit  to  Brindisi, 
where  Roger,  the  son  still  spared  to  him,  was  being 
married  to  Urania,  daughter  of  Isaac,  the  Emperor 
of  Constantinople.  The  wedding  was  a  magnificent 
function,  but  in  the  midst  of  feasting  and  rejoicing, 
all  the  more  pleasant  to  him  since  Roger  was  an 
idolised  son,  Tancred  was  called  away  by  the  news 
of  Henry's  arrival  on  the  borders  of  his  territory, 
and  by  the  cry  that  Naples  was  in  danger.  Tancred 
hurriedly   left    Brindisi    to    commence    another    war, 


lO.      S.    NICOLU    E    CATALDO,    LECCE  :    DETAIL   OF    PRINCIPAL    DOORWAY 


r-  loo] 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  loi 

which  never  left  him  a  moment's  rest  from  anxiety 
till  his  death  two  years  later.  His  life  became  an 
alternate  campaign  in  Sicily  and  on  the  mainland, 
and  is  marked  by  an  act  of  clemency.  The  Empress 
Constance,  his  kinswoman,  on  one  occasion  fell  into 
his  hands  at  Salerno.  Instead  of  avenging  himself 
for  Henry's  cruel  insult  to  his  wife,  he  returned 
Constance  in  safety  to  her  lord  in  Germany.  The 
war  apparently  concluded  at  last,  he  came  back  at 
last  to  Palermo  never  to  leave  it  again.  His  beloved 
son  Roger  was  dead,  and  the  news  had  just  reached 
him.  Established  now  firmly  on  his  throne,  he  was 
a  lonely  and  a  miserable  man.  One  after  another,  he 
had  lost  all  his  nearest  kindred,  and  this  unhappiness 
undoubtedly  hastened  his  end.  On  February  20th, 
1 194,  the  great  King  Tancred,  less  than  fifty  years  of 
age,  died  alone.  His  own  wishes  provided  that  he 
should  be  buried  there  in  the  Cathedral  in  the  same 
grave  as  his  son ;  but,  as  a  French  nobleman  has 
touchingly  said  in  concluding  his  stormy  life :  "  Even 
there  a  revengeful  foe  did  not  scruple  to  disturb  the 
rest  of  those  two  united  in  death." 

So  passed  the  great  Tancred,  fourth  King  of  Sicily 
and  fifth  Count  of  Lecce.  He  left  his  mark  on  that  city 
in  many  ways,  and  on  several  occasions  seems  to  have 
lived  there  for  a  while.  He  rebuilt  the  walls  of  the 
city  and  carried  out  other  necessary  improvements. 
He  gave  various  fiefs  to  the  citizens  of  Lecce,  the  fief 
and  village  of  Surbo  to  the  monks  of  S.  Giovanni. 

But  to  us  of  to-day  his  memory  will  always  be 
enshrined  in  the  quaint  and  beautiful  church  which 
stands,  in  a  setting  of  orange-trees  and  cypresses, 
brilliant  flowers  and  divers  blossoms,  just  outside 
the  city.      Here,  where  now  the  quiet  dead  of  Lecce 


102  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

sleep  in  ordered  rows,  we  may  wander  down  the 
broad  gravel  walk  of  the  Campo  Santo  to  where 
Tancred's  temple  is  framed  in  by  those  same  dark 
trees  that  are  to  be  found  in  the  churchyards  of  so 
many  lands.  And  over  the  magnificent  doorway, 
unsurpassed  for  beauty  in  all  Southern  Italy,  may 
be  read  plainly  the  fantastic  Latin  verse  in  which 
Tancred  records  his  faith  for  all  time.  There  is 
nothing  in  all  Lecce  so  interesting  as  those  eight 
lines  of  firm  lettering  which  have  come  down  to  us 
from  the  days  when  "  Comes  Tancredus,"  passing 
from  one  battlefield  to  another,  paused  in  his  journey 
to  see  the  church  which  he  was  building  in  his  native 
city,  and  dictated  to  the  mason  the  dedication  which 
he  had  composed. 

The  Government  of  Italy  now  maintains  as  a  his- 
torical monument  this  church,  which  is  so  valuable  to 
lovers  of  architecture  and  history  alike. 

With  Tancred's  death  comes  a  break  in  the  suc- 
cession to  the  county  of  Lecce.  William,  the  child 
who  had  suffered  at  the  Emperor's  hands  a  few  years 
before,  may  have  held  it  for  a  short  time  before  his 
death  ;  but  it  appears  to  have  been  given  about  1195 
to  Robert  Visconti  (who  later  married  Madonia,  a 
younger  daughter  of  Tancred),  by  the  Emperor,  who 
at  last  had  gained  possession  of  the  Sicilian  crown 
which  he  had  coveted  so  long.  Visconti  died  and  was 
buried  at  Lecce  in  12 10  in  the  apse  of  the  church  of 
the  SS.  Trinita  which  he  had  built  there.  With 
him  were  sleeping  for  many  centuries  Queen  Sybil 
— Tancred's  wife — and  her  daughter  Albiria.  Madonia's 
marriages  and  other  entanglements  are  of  little  in- 
terest here,  and  it  was  to  Albiria  that  Lecce  looked 
for  succour. 


2      ^ 


<       -V^  ... 


1 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    NORMANS  103 

Released  at  last  from  her  German  prison,  she  and 
her  mother  sought  sanctuary  from  their  cruel  per- 
secutor at  the  brilliant  court  of  King  Philip  of  France. 
Queen  Sybil  was  an  ambitious  woman,  and  her  object 
was  to  find  among  the  many  doughty  hearts  in 
Philip's  entourage  one  which  would  take  Albiria  to 
wife,  and  win  back  from  alien  hands  the  domain  of 
her  ancestors.  Her  search  was  not  in  vain,  and  she 
consigned  her  daughter  to  the  care  and  affections  of 
Walter,  Count  of  Brienne,  a  seigneur  of  France.  With 
their  marriage  in  1200  the  line  of  Hautevilles  became 
extinct,  and  for  over  a  century  and  a  half  Lecce  was 
held  by  the  Briennes. 


CHAPTER    IV 

LECCE   UNDER  THE    BRIENNES 
(1200— 1384) 

At  this  time  the  Briennes  were  among  the  most 
ancient  and  noble  families  of  feudal  France.  Their 
ancestry  could  be  traced  back  to  Carolingian  times, 
and  their  family  fortunes  were  sprung  from  Count 
Engilbert,  a  rough  warrior  of  the  days  of  Louis  IV. 
d'Outre-mer.  Walter  III.,  who  now  held  this  famous 
title,  was  probably  fifty  years  of  age  when  Sybil  prof- 
fered her  unusual  request.  Yet  he  was  young  in 
every  sense  but  that  of  age.  Only  two  years  before, 
he  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  wars  between 
Cceur-de-Lion  and  Philip,  a  part  which  no  younger 
man  would  have  been  ashamed  to  own.  It  was,  in- 
deed, due  to  his  military  reputation  above  all  things 
— for  he  was  a  poor  man — that  he  was  sought  after 
by  the  heiress  of  two  Norman  kings. 

At  first  he  does  not  seem  to  have  smiled  upon  the 
idea  of  marriage.  Whether  it  was  that  he  felt  himself 
too  old  for  a  young  and  beautiful  maiden,  or  whether 
he  felt  that  the  obligations  to  which  he  was  to  be 
bound  were  too  much  for  his  slender  resources,  at 
any  rate  it  required  all  Albiria's  graces  and  all  Sybil's 

104 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  105 

powers  of  persuasion  to  bring  about  the  happy  ending 
which  they  desired.  The  wedding  ultimately  took 
place  at  Melun  early  in  1200  in  the  presence  of  the 
King  and  all  his  Court. 

The  amount  of  intrigue  proceeding  at  this  time 
between  the  powers  of  Europe  is  perfectly  amazing, 
and  Sybil's  part  in  all  these  affairs  was  a  foremost 
one.  Philip,  the  Emperor,  the  Pope  —  each  was 
scheming  behind  the  back  of  his  ally  for  the  time 
being.  However,  Walter  made  up  his  mind  that  the 
Pope's  help  was  the  only  help  worth  having,  and  as 
soon  as  his  marriage  had  been  solemnised  he  set 
out  with  Sybil,  Albiria,  and  a  few  devoted  friends  for 
the  Court  of  Rome.  His  object  was  not  so  much  to 
obtain  actual  aid  in  men  or  money,  sadly  as  he  lacked 
both,  but  rather  to  gain  the  papal  sanction  for  his 
enterprise. 

The  value  of  that  sanction  in  mediaeval  days  can 
hardly  be  overestimated.  There  was  some  little 
delay  before  Innocent  III.  at  length  agreed,  though 
secretly  his  mind  had  been  made  up  long  before. 
Then,  leaving  Sybil  and  Albiria  in  Rome  to  weave 
the  intrigues  they  loved  so  keenly,  Walter  returned 
to  Champagne  in  the  middle  of  the  summer  of  1200  to 
gather  men  and  raise  funds.  His  brother  John  (later 
destined  to  become  King  of  Jerusalem),  Walter  de 
Montbelliard,  Eustace  de  Conflans,  Robert  de  Joinville — 
these  were  the  great  names  enrolled  under  his  banner. 
Money  was  difficult  to  find.  Brienne  himself,  though 
a  large  landed  proprietor,  does  not  seem  to  have 
had  the  enormous  estates  held  by  his  grandson,  and 
the  cost  of  the  Crusades  was  emptying  the  pockets 
of  most  French  warriors.  However,  Theobald  of 
Champagne,  one  of  the  most  powerful  nobles  of  the 


io6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

day,  agreed  to  lend  him  700  livres  on  the  nail,  and 
to  find  further  sums  for  him  from  financiers.  Thus 
equipped,  he  set  out  in  April  1201  with  his  little  band 
for  Italy.  They  crossed  the  Mont  Cenis  pass,  and 
two  or  three  weeks  later  the  cavalcade  rode  into 
Rome.  Their  mission  had  already  been  noised  abroad  ; 
but  when  they  arrived — a  tired,  footsore  squadron, 
emaciated  with  their  long  journey  through  France 
and  Italy,  stained  with  the  mud  of  bad  roads  or  no 
roads  at  all,  limp,  and  jaded  in  aspect — the  light- 
hearted  citizens  of  the  Eternal  City  made  many  a 
merry  quip  at  their  expense.  Were  these  the  valiant 
opponents  of  the  rough  German  troops,  whom  the 
flower  of  Italian  and  Norman  chivalry  had  failed  to 
defeat  ?  As  the  little  band  filed  past,  the  Pope's  heart 
sank  lower  and  lower. 

"Is  this  all  your  army?"  he  asked.  **  How  many 
combatants  does  it  consist  of  ? " 

"  Sixty  knights  and  forty  men-at-arms,"  replied  his 
interlocutor  with  imperturbable  coolness. 

"  They  are  few,"  answered  the  pontiff;  "two  thou- 
sand men  would  not  be  too  many  to  defeat  the  four 
thousand  who  are  waiting  for  you  away  down  there." 

"  Bah  !  "  said  the  Count.  "  I  put  more  trust  in  God 
and  my  right  than  in  any  man  who  may  happen  to  be 
my  enemy." 

But  this  bravado  had  little  effect  on  the  astute 
Innocent,  and  with  the  fear  of  losing  all  his  chances 
in  Sicily  for  ever  by  the  failure  of  this  expedition,  he 
decided  to  open  his  coffers,  and  gave  Brienne  five 
hundred  ounces  of  gold.  He  had  already  sent  in- 
structions to  every  cleric  in  the  southern  province 
as  to  helping  the  adventurer  by  any  means  in  his 
power,   instructions   which   reached   into  every  part 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  107 

of  the  country  more  thoroughly  than  a  pohce  notice 
does  even  in  England  to-day.  It  was  in  May  1201 
that  Brienne  began  his  southward  march  along  the 
old  Latin  Way,  and  outside  Capua  in  June  that  he 
so  signally  defeated  German  Diepold  with  his  large 
force.  The  moral  effect  of  the  victory  was  remark- 
able, crowds  of  knights  now  flocking  to  his  banner 
whom  only  caution  had  so  far  kept  away.  Melfi, 
Barletta,  Montepeloso,  Brindisi,  Otranto  hastened  to 
open  their  gates  to  him. 

Lecce  gave  itself  up  at  the  first  summons,  but  he 
was  forced  to  carry  the  citadel  by  assault.  Only 
Monopoli  and  Taranto  opposed  any  resistance  to 
him.  In  spite  of  these  two  cities,  he  was  able  to 
place  his  headquarters  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  guided 
in  all  his  counsels  by  Guglielmo  Prato,  a  nobleman 
of  the  district,  whom  Sybil,  a  keen  judge  of  human 
character,  had  found  for  his  adviser.  The  Prato 
family  supplied  other  counsellors  and  men  of  action 
when  Lecce  needed  them  in  later  days.  His  mother- 
in-law  and  his  young  wife  now  hastened  to  rejoin 
him,  the  latter  bringing  back  to  Lecce  all  the  luxury 
of  the  Palermo  Court,  and  thus  reviving  in  the  new 
capital  by  feasting  of  every  kind  the  bad  old  times 
of  Count  Robert  and  the  voluptuous  mistress  of 
unhappy  Roger  of  Apulia. 

Meanwhile  there  was  unrest  at  Palermo,  and  Con- 
stance, trembling  for  her  throne,  was  wheedling  every 
crowned  head  within  her  ken.  Again  Brienne  entered 
the  lists,  and  on  the  field  of  Cannae — already  drenched 
twice  with  blood  since  Hannibal  first  made  it  one 
of  the  battle-grounds  of  the  world — he  again  van- 
quished a  stronger  foe.  It  was  the  famous  charge 
that  France  had  made  her  own  that  left  him  master 


io8  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

of  a  hard-fought  day,  and  he  returned  from  that 
lonely  and  malaria-stricken  plateau  with  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  great  thing  achieved. 

But  the  mind  of  Southern  Italy  is  fickle  as  the 
wind  ;  the  hearts  of  some  of  his  crusaders  yearned 
for  a  sight  of  Palestine.  Sicily  was  again  disturbed. 
On  the  other  hand,  John  of  Brienne  took  so  optimistic 
a  view  of  things  that  he  left  Lecce  for  the  Holy  Land, 
and  the  Germans  under  Diepold  seemed  to  have  been 
finally  driven  out  of  harm's  way  into  the  mountains. 

In  June  1205,  when  Walter  was  skirmishing  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Sorrento,  the  end  came  more 
suddenly  than  any  had  expected.  His  camp  at  Sarno 
was  surprised  in  the  dead  of  night ;  he  was  caught 
while  sleeping  in  his  tent,  and,  though  fighting  like 
a  lion,  fell  an  easy  prey  to  Diepold's  men.  He  seems 
to  have  been  betrayed,  and  for  once  Diepold  treated 
his  foe  with  compassion,  sending  for  all  the  doctors 
which  Salerno's  famous  school  of  medicine  could 
provide.  Then  the  German  came  to  him  and  offered 
him  not  only  peace  but  the  fiefs  of  Acerra  and 
Salerno.  Walter  declined  the  offer  with  violent 
scorn,  and  Diepold  in  anger  pricked  his  face  with  a 
dagger.  Weak  as  a  child  through  loss  of  blood, 
Walter  fell  back  helpless,  but  when  he  recovered 
himself  he  solemnly  untied  all  the  bandages  which 
skilful  surgeons  had  bound  round  his  lacerated  limbs, 
and  as  the  blood  poured  from  the  wounds  he  breathed 
his  last. 

He  was  buried  in  a  little  church  by  one  of  the 
Apennine  streams,  a  lonely  spot,  in  which  a  simple 
stone  bears  the  words : 

"  HIC   JACET   GUALTIERUS    A    BRENNO   .   COMES  .  BARD." 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  109 

But  in  the  careless  city  of  Lecce,  for  which  he  had 
done  so  much,  and  now  given  up  his  hfe,  Albiria 
passed  the  time  in  frovolities  worthy  of  her  grand- 
mother. We  do  not  know  enough  of  her  to  accept 
the  uncharitable  view  of  the  French  chronicler  who 
says  that  she  only  delayed  her  second  nuptials  with 
one  count  of  Tricarico  long  enough  to  bring  into  the 
world  the  boy  she  was  expecting. 

"  Had  she  been  of  the  same  stamp  as  Sybil  the 
Beautiful,"  says  the  cynic,  "  no  such  trifle  as  this 
would  have  stood  in  her  way.  Her  second  husband 
died  in  time  to  allow  her  to  marry  once  more  ;  on 
this  occasion  a  Tuscan  count." 

Both  she  and  her  mother  were  buried  in  the  Church 
of  the  SS.  Trinita  at  Lecce. 

Walter  IV 

The  second  Walter  to  become  Count  of  Lecce,  the 
fourth  to  succeed  to  the  Brienne  estates,  was  born  in 
1205  or  1206,  and  succeeded  to  the  former  title  in 
1 2 10.  His  father  had  held  not  only  Lecce  (as  appears 
from  documents  in  which  he  is  styled  "  Dei  Gratia 
Comes  Lytii  "),  but  most  of  the  Principality  of  Taranto 
as  well,  from  1201  to  1204,  and  many  Leccese  citizens 
had  fought  in  the  wars  against  the  Emperor.  After 
her  third  marriage  Albiria  and  her  child  seem  to 
have  come  back  to  Lecce  for  some  unknown  reason, 
and  to  have  lived  there,  but  she  does  not  appear  to 
have  held  the  title,  and  died  in   121 2. 

It  was  at  the  intercession  of  the  Empress  Constance, 
who  still  looked  kindly  on  the  grandson  of  Tancred 
who  had  treated  her  chivalrously,  that  little  Walter 
was  recognised  as  count,  while  still  a  small  child,  by 


no  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Frederick  II.  It  appears  that  in  this  same  year 
Frederick  sacked  and  almost  levelled  Lecce  because 
it  had  raised  the  Papal  banner. 

On  the  death  of  his  mother  the  boy  was  sent  to 
his  uncle,  John  of  Jerusalem,  a  man  of  middle  age, 
who  was  one  of  the  foremost  warriors  of  his 
age.  He  had  reached  his  three  score  years  and  ten 
when  he  entered  on  the  fifth  crusade,  his  nephew 
probably  accompanying  him  in  camp  by  this  time, 
through  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land,  and  bearing  arms 
for  the  first  time.  It  is  only  certain,  however,  that 
Walter  returned  to  Lecce  in  1221  and  put  in  a  claim 
to  his  paternal  estates.  Whether  he  was  invested 
with  the  titles  on  this  occasion  is  another  matter. 
His  uncle  returned  to  Italy  in  the  following  year  to 
arrange  an  important  wedding,  of  his  own  daughter 
Yolande  to  Frederick  the  Emperor,  with  the  Pope 
Honorius  HI.  at  Verona,  embarking  from  Brindisi 
for  Northern  Italy  in  the  autumn.  Frederick's  conduct 
in  the  matter  of  this  marriage  was  that  of  an  ungrateful 
Machiavellian,  but  the  old  King  of  Jerusalem  saw 
no  rocks  ahead,  and  rejoiced  in  his  daughter's  brilliant 
prospects.  With  a  light  heart  he  left  Italy  for  a  tour 
through  Europe  to  rouse  enthusiasm  among  her  rulers 
for  the  sixth  crusade.  But  his  hopes  were  disappointed, 
and  with  wedding-bells  ringing  in  his  brain  the  idea 
crossed  his  mind  of  marrying  again.  His  first  experi- 
ment in  that  direction  had  been  at  sixty  years  of  age ; 
his  second  found  him  still  young  at  seventy-three, 
when  he  led  Berengaria  of  Castile  to  the  altar  in 
1223  or  1224. 

He  then  slowly  retraced  his  steps  through  France 
and  Germany,  and  arrived  in  Italy  early  in  1225,  his 
wife  and  nephew  with  him.     The  former  gave  birth 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  iii 

to  a  child  at  Capua  in  April,  and  rejoined  John  a  few 
weeks   later  at   Melfi,   so   that   they   might    both    be 
present    at    the    ceremony   at    Brindisi.      The   Arch- 
bishop of  Capua  had  gone  over  to  the  East  to  bring 
back   Yolande,    already   betrothed,   and   shortly  after 
her  arrival  the  magnificent  nuptials  took  place.     The 
church    in    which    they   were    celebrated    has    been 
replaced    by   an    ugly   barn   of  a   building,   and   one 
wonders   why   Lecce  was  not  honoured  on  such   an 
occasion,  as  by  this  time  it  must  have  ousted  Brindisi 
in  importance.     The  bride  was  fifteen  years  of  age, 
the  bridegroom  twenty-nine.     "She,"  we  read,  "was 
in  the  spring-tide  of  her  charms ;  he,  without  being 
tall,  had  a  perfectly  proportioned  figure,  good  features, 
an  agreeable  expression,  and  the  fair  hair  of  all  the 
Hohenstaufens."      Immediately   the   formalities   were 
concluded,  indeed  as  they  left  the  cathedral,  Frederick 
claimed  the  kingdom  of  Jerusalem — his  chief  induce- 
ment  to   the   alliance — and   set   out   with   his   young 
consort   for   his   home,  with   never  a  word  of  adieu 
to    his    venerable    father-in-law.      John    was    justly 
incensed  at  the  slight,  and   followed  the  pair  when 
their  precipitate  departure  was  known,  finding  them 
at  Foggia,  where  a  stormy  but  unprofitable  interview 
ensued.      Then   Frederick,  for   no   particular   reason, 
changed   his   plans,  and   returned   with    his    wife   to 
the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  where  he  stayed  for  a  few  weeks. 
It  was  probably  at  Lecce  that  he  committed  a  folly 
which    filled   his   brimming   cup   to   overflowing,   for 
while    actually   on   his   wedding   tour   he   seduced   a 
cousin  of  his  wife's,  who   complained   to   her   father 
and   demanded   punishment.      The   news,   coming   to 
the  old  King  of  Jerusalem,  was  the  last  straw.     An 
added  insult  to  the  family  pride  after  all  it  had  suff'ered 


112  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

during  the  past  month  was  too  much  for  human 
patience,  and  his  treatment  of  Frederick  in  the  inter- 
view which  followed  was  not  of  the  gentlest.  But 
Walter,  too,  had  his  say  in  the  matter.  Only  twenty, 
so  far  he  had  merely  played  a  secondary  part  in  this 
bickering,  but  while  left  to  himself  at  Lecce  he  had 
indulged  the  passion  for  intrigue  which  he  had 
inherited  from  his  mother  and  grandmother.  Regard- 
ing Frederick  as  a  usurper,  piqued,  too,  by  being 
treated  as  a  boy,  Walter  had  arranged  a  pleasant 
little  plot  to  dethrone  his  rival. 

This  coming  to  the  Emperor's  ears,  he  set  about 
arranging  how  to  poison  Walter,  and,  finding  it 
difficult,  evolved  a  stratagem  for  assassinating  him 
while  playing  a  friendly  game  of  chess  together.  The 
game  began,  the  assassin  was  hired  and  waiting,  the 
pieces  were  moving  slowly  across  the  board,  when 
the  old  king  rushed  in,  warned  of  his  nephew's 
imminent  peril  and,  seizing  him  by  the  arm,  dragged 
him  from  the  table.  Then,  sitting  down  in  the  vacant 
chair,  he  abused  Frederick  in  the  most  insulting  way 
his  brain  could  conceive,  ending  with  the  hated 
epithet  of  "  bastard."  This  last  word  was  dreaded 
by  Frederick  like  the  plague.  It  was  the  cry  of  all 
his  enemies.  Silent  and  pale,  he  sat  speechless  before 
this  attack  by  the  aged  Hercules,  who  with  a  blow 
of  his  fist  could  have  sent  him  into  eternity.  So  says 
history,  adding  slyly  that  an  Arab  historian  who  saw 
Frederick  four  years  later  in  Syria  said  he  would  not 
fetch  200  drachmas  on  the  slave  market. 

But  John,  brave  as  he  was,  knew  better  than  to 
trust  Frederick  after  this  business,  and  he  and  Walter 
fled  from  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  northwards  to  Barletta, 
making  their  way  thence  to  Rome  through  the  Abruzzi. 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  113 

John  then  stayed  for  some  time  in  Italy  with  his  wife, 
while  Walter  went  to  France.  Leaving  them  to  their 
usual  interminable  intrigues  and  negotiations,  it  is 
more  interesting  to  see  how  Lecce  was  faring. 

A  few  years  before  Yolande's  wedding  the  city  had 
been  honoured  by  the  most  celebrated  man  of  that 
day,  Francis  of  Assist.  Shortly  after  establishing  his 
Order  of  Friars  Minor,  he  had  sent  some  of  them 
to  commence  work  in  Lecce,  and  when  returning  from 
the  East,  as  Dante  says  : 

E  per  trovare  a  conversione  acerba 
Troppo  la  gente,  per  non  stare  indarno, 
Reddissi  al  frutto  dell'  italica  erba ;  .  .  . 

he  stayed  a  short  time  in  the  city  to  observe  their 
progress,  and  in  a  house  given  by  the  Guarini  family 
founded  a  Chiesa  Minoritica.  A  charming  little  legend 
is  told  by  Fatalo  of  his  visit,  of  which  I  now  give  a 
translation  : 

"  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  as  was  the  usage  with 
religious  mendicants,  passed  from  house  to  house 
asking  an  alms :  and  one  day  found  himself  in  front 
of  a  patrician's  palace  (to-day  possessed  by  the  noble 
family  of  Perroni,  and  believed  from  time  immemorial 
in  Lecce  to  have  been  long  ago  the  home  of  our  first 
Bishop,  Saint  Oronzo).  He  knocked  at  the  door  and 
claimed  an  alms  for  the  love  of  God.  Suddenly  an 
exceeding  comely  page  gave  him  a  large  white  loaf 
and  vanished.  At  the  knock  on  the  door  a  man- 
servant from  within  appeared,  so  Francis  thanked  him 
in  God's  name  for  having  been  given  the  loaf  which  he 
now  held  in  his  hand.  But  the  man  said  the  loaf  had 
not  come  from  their  palace,  whereupon  it  becoming 
apparent  to  St.  Francis,  and  also  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  palace,  that  a  miracle  had   been  wrought  by 

8 


114  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Divine  Providence,  they  one  and  all  gave  thanks  to 
the  Most  High  and,  that  others  might  hold  the  deed 
in  perpetual  remembrance,  they  caused  to  be  carved 
over  the  arch  of  the  door  an  angel  in  the  act  of 
descending  from  heaven  and  offering  a  loaf.  And 
this  very  memorial  may  be  seen  in  that  palace  even 
to-day." 

Fatalo  wrote  this  many  centuries  ago,  but  the 
statue  still  remains  on  one  of  the  houses  built  by  the 
Paladini,  now  forming  No.  14,  Isolario  della  Parrocchia 
della  Luce. 

Another  incident  of  almost  the  same  date  was  the 
outbreak  of  a  serious  epidemic  among  the  large 
numbers  of  crusaders  stationed  temporarily  in  the 
district,  waiting  for  the  signal  of  departure  to  the  Holy 
Land  to  be  given.  Frederick  at  last  made  a  start  in 
1228,  but  being  himself  stricken  by  the  new  disease, 
was  promptly  excommunicated  by  the  Pope,  who  must 
have  been  something  of  a  Christian  Scientist  if  he 
expected  Frederick  to  be  proof  against  contagion.  It 
is  more  probable  that  his  own  spies  brought  reports 
of  the  Emperor's  condition,  which  made  His  Holiness 
sceptical. 

The  Briennes  again  came  to  the  fore.  John — at 
nearly  eighty  years  of  age — was  ordered  by  the  Pope 
to  form  an  army,  and  Walter  joined  him.  Both  had 
their  own  ambitions,  one  to  become  Emperor,  the 
other  King  of  Sicily.  Both  were  mortally  offended 
with  Frederick,  whose  wife  had  succumbed  at  twenty- 
one  to  six  years  of  cruel  treatment.  He,  hearing  of 
Italy's  danger  in  Egypt,  hurried  home  through  the 
Terra  d'Otranto,  persuaded  a  body  of  German  crusaders 
kicking  their  heels  at  Brindisi  to  join  him,  and 
marched  up  the  Adriatic  coast  at  full  speed.     On  the 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  115 

Liris  he  encountered  the  Papal  forces  under  the 
Briennes,  and  routed  them.  The  indefatigable  John 
returned  to  France  to  raise  another  army  with  a  view 
to  relieving  Constantinople,  while  Walter  went  to  his 
Champagne  estates. 

The  remaining  sixteen  years  of  Walter's  life  reads 
like  a  fairy  tale.  By  his  marriage  with  Marie  de 
Lusignan  he  became  a  large  landowner  in  Cyprus, 
by  daring  deeds  against  the  infidels  became  Count 
of  Joppa.  His  career  is  a  long  record  of  heroism  and 
adventure  in  the  Holy  Land  till,  after  the  sack  of 
Jerusalem  in  1244,  he  was  captured  and  taken  to 
Cairo,  subjected  to  excruciating  torture  and  finally 
killed.  He  met  death  with  the  unflinching  fortitude 
of  his  father  and  uncle,  and  will,  like  them,  be  handed 
down  in  history  as  a  man  to  whom  fear  was  unknown, 
as  though  indeed  such  a  quality  did  not  exist  in  his 
composition.  These  years  are,  however,  lean  years 
for  the  Lecce  chronicler.  All  the  city's  bravest  were 
away  in  the  East  and  little  of  interest  was  happening 
at  home. 

Manfred 

(1229 — 1268) 

Whether  it  was  after  Frederick's  great  defeat  of 
the  Briennes  and  the  Papal  army  in  1229  that  he 
seized  the  county  of  Lecce  is  uncertain.  At  all  events, 
he  had  it  when  his  son  Manfred  was  in  his  teens, 
and  created  him  Prince  of  Taranto  and  Count  of 
Lecce.  At  Frederick's  death,  in  1250,  Manfred  found 
himself  in  Lecce  as  governor  of  the  Terra  d'  Otranto, 
Apulia,  and  Calabria,  but  renounced  the  office  after 
four  years,  receiving  from  Pope  Innocent  IV.  in  ex- 


ii6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

change  the  investiture  of  the  Principality  of  Taranto, 
Tricarico,  and  Gravina.  This  agreement  only  lasted 
a  short  time,  and  then  the  pontifical  party  rebelled 
against  Manfred  in  Brindisi,  Nardo,  Mesagne,  Otranto, 
Oria,  and  Lecce.  He  reconquered  them  all,  though 
Oria  opposed  him  for  several  months.  Nor  is  it 
remarkable  to  any  one  who  has  ever  seen  that  enor- 
mous cliff  of  impregnable  masonry  frowning  over  the 
surrounding  fields. 

He  was  crowned  King  of  Sicily  on  hearing  a  false 
rumour  of  his  half-brother  Conradin's  death  at 
Palermo  in  1258,  fought  fiercely  for  his  throne,  and 
became  in  the  end  the  ruler  of  a  larger  part  of  Italy 
than  any  Italian  sovereign  since  Louis  II.  Beyond 
the  limits  of  Naples  and  Sicily  he  held  Corfu, 
Durazzo,  and  a  strip  of  the  Albanian  coast  which 
came  to  him  as  part  of  his  wife's  dowry.  (He 
married  Helen  Comnenus  in  1259.)  After  his  wedding 
a  great  tourney  was  held  at  Bari,  and  two  Lecce 
knights — Orlando  Maramonte  and  Renzo  di  Persona 
— jousted  with  great  credit  in  the  lists.  Another, 
Conrad  Capece,  is  one  of  the  noblest  figures  in  the 
city's  story,  and  with  ten  other  knights  on  the  field 
of  Beneventum  in  1266  swore  to  kill  Charles  of  Anjou 
the  usurper.  But  in  this  battle  all  the  fortunes  of 
Southern  Italy  and  Sicily  were  changed,  and  Manfred 
was  slain.  It  is  again  necessary  to  consider  European 
politics  at  this  moment  to  realise  Lecce's  position. 
The  Emperor  considered  himself  justified  in  hawking 
the  crown  of  Sicily  round  Europe  while  Manfred 
held  it,  on  the  ground  that  the  latter  had  not  estab- 
lished his  claim.  It  was  offered  to  Edmund  of 
England  among  others ;  and  finally  accepted  by 
Charles,   Count   of  Anjou,  sovereign   Count   of  Pro- 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  117 

vence  through  his  wife,  brother  of  St.  Louis  of 
France.  Crowned  by  the  Pope  in  1266,  he  marched 
to  take  possession  of  his  lord's  grant,  and  hence 
occurred  the  great  battle  of  Beneventum. 

From  this  date  for  sixteen  years  Sicily  was  the 
prey  of  an  unsympathetic  foreigner,  and  sank  to  its 
lowest  ebb.  Naples  fared  better,  and  became  capital 
of  a  new  dynasty,  which  held  the  continental  lands 
after  the  island  had  been  lost.  Spain's  connection 
with  Southern  Italy  began  in  Manfred's  time,  for  his 
daughter  Constance  (Sybil,  Constance,  and  Isabel 
seem  to  alternate  in  royal  families  of  the  day)  had 
married  Peter  of  Aragon. 

Lecce,  as  usual,  was  a  centre  of  disaffection.  Conrad 
Capece  was  still  on  the  warpath,  still  holding  to  his 
vow  to  kill  Charles  of  Anjou  if  chance  permitted 
it.  The  new  king  pursued  his  formidable  rival  into 
Brindisi,  and  in  1269  occurred  the  next  sack  of  Lecce, 
an  event  which  has  occurred  with  such  monotonous 
frequency  in  these  pages. 

Hugh  of  Brienne 

(1268 — 1296) 

It  was  to  recover  this  disturbed  inheritance  that 
the  only  survivor  of  the  Briennes  came  about  1268 
from  the  wars  in  Palestine.  He  was  the  youngest 
of  Walter  IV.'s  three  sons,  and  was  as  ambitious  as 
any  of  his  predecessors.  He  had  indeed  already 
claimed  the  regency  of  Palestine  on  the  ground  of 
his  mother's  rights  in  Cyprus  and  Jerusalem.  At 
every  port  on  the  Adriatic  and  Ionian  seas  the  flower 
of  French  chivalry  was  gathering  in  little  groups  to 


ii8  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

uphold  the  new  French  monarch's  throne,  and  amongst 
these  was  Hugh  of  Brienne.  Conradin,  who  was  no 
more  dead  now  than  he  had  been  when  Manfred 
had  seized  his  crown  ten  years  before,  was  advancing 
with  a  strong  force  from  the  north.  Sicily  was  in 
rebellion,  and  the  Saracens  of  Lucera  were  under 
arms.  Small  wonder  then  that  Charles  should  show 
himself  generous  to  one  who  had  served  him  so 
well  when  the  bloody  field  of  Tagliacozzo  had  been 
won,  and  the  Suabian  death-knell  sounded.  He 
restored  to  Hugh  the  greater  part  of  the  domains 
which  his  grandfather  and  great-grandfather  had  held 
before  him — Lecce,  San  Donato,  Tripuzzo,  and  Teren- 
zano  in  the  Terra  d'Otranto — adding  to  them  the 
estate  of  Burelli  in  Calabria  as  compensation  for  the 
isolated  fiefs  of  the  county  of  Lecce  in  1271.  It  is 
a  relief  to  turn  for  a  moment  from  military  records 
and  discuss  the  position  in  which  so  many  years  of 
warfare  had  placed  the  Brienne  estates. 

When  first  he  became  Count  of  Lecce  his  Italian 
estates  brought  him  in  something  between  five  and 
six  thousand  pounds  annual  rent  in  our  money. 
But  with  the  eventual  idea  of  becoming  King  of 
Cyprus  he  used  every  endeavour  to  increase  the 
value  of  his  property  so  as  to  have  a  regal  income 
at  his  command.  The  Calabrian  estate  was  too  far 
removed  from  Lecce  to  be  easily  managed.  He 
therefore  hastened  to  exchange  it  for  places  nearer 
at  hand.  He  actually  asked  Charles  for  a  sum  of 
money  down  in  lieu  of  sundry  lands  he  had  been 
given,  but  of  which  he  had  been  unable  to  take 
possession  for  various  reasons.  By  this  astute  move 
he  made  over  £7,000  in  hard  cash,  and  shortly  after- 
wards persuaded  the  King  to  award  him  yet  another 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  119 

fief.  Thus  step  by  step  his  property  in  Italy  had 
advanced  in  value  until  even  on  taxation  returns 
(and  was  ever  a  Norman  honest  in  such  a  case  ?) 
Brienne  dared  not  place  his  annual  rent-roll  at  less 
than  ;^7,5oo  a  year!  Of  this  the  estate  of  Lecce 
seems  to  have  provided  considerably  over  half. 

When  we  find  that  the  Brienne  estates  were  worth 
;^i 2,000  a  year,  by  his  income  from  these  two  pro- 
perties alone  he  had  nearly  ;^20,ooo,  and  this  does 
not  include  a  large  and  rich  domain  in  Cyprus,  or 
the  great  duchy  of  Athens,  of  which  he  became 
guardian  late  in  life.  These  figures  of  course  refer 
to  the  purchasing  power  of  money  at  the  present 
day,  but  are  taken  from  a  reliable  source,  and  they 
place  his  revenue  far  above  that  of  any  feudal  lord 
of  France  or  any  other  land  at  the  time.  Philippe 
de  Courtenay,  for  example,  who  became  Emperor  of 
Constantinople,  had  only  a  paltry  ;^7,5oo  a  year! 

Then  of  Hugh's  autocratic  power  in  the  Terra 
d'Otranto  many  stories  are  told.  A  great  favourite 
of  Charles  of  Anjou,  he  was  so  sure  of  his  position 
that  he  never  hesitated  to  crave  any  boon  that 
occurred  to  him.  Should  any  neighbouring  baron 
step  over  his  boundaries,  all  the  power  of  Naples  was 
immediately  called  into  action,  but  should  Hugh  him- 
self elect  to  trespass  abroad,  all  the  power  of  Naples 
would  be  felt  against  the  injured  party  in  a  court 
of  law.  So  we  read  of  some  unfortunate  noble  who 
had  been  unjustly  driven  out  of  his  lands,  vainly 
attempting  to  have  a  summons  taken  out  against  this 
omnipotent  despot.  The  trial  dragged  on  for  years. 
On  the  other  hand,  Hugh,  rich  as  he  was,  was  not 
above  begging  on  occasion.  Thus  he  borrows  the 
admiral  and  fleet  from   Brindisi  to  transport  himself 


120  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

and  family  to  Greece  for  a  short  visit,  and  to  call 
again  to  bring  them  back  when  required.  He  is 
equally  agreeable  to  using  royal  ships  for  moving 
horses  and  stores.  Indeed,  there  was  no  trifle, 
however  small,  that  the  great  Count  of  Lecce  and 
Brienne  did  not  deign  to  ask  of  his  master. 

Yet  all  through  his  career  the  throne  of  Cyprus  was 
his  goal,  and  he  even  thought  at  one  time  of  attempt- 
ing its  conquest  by  force.  However,  the  Pope  seems 
to  have  prevailed  on  Charles  of  Anjou  to  use  his 
influence  with  Hugh  against  the  venture.  It  is  most 
likely  that  his  interests  were  turned  in  another  direction 
by  his  marriage  with  a  sister  of  the  Duke  of  Athens, 
and  that  henceforth  this  fertile  Achaean  state  became 
the  object  of  his  desire. 

With  the  opening  of  the  war  of  the  Sicilian  vespers 
in  1282  Hugh  the  landlord  again  became  Hugh  the 
soldier,  and  set  out  from  Lecce  for  a  two  years'  cam- 
paign. The  French  allies— though  supported  by  Genoa 
— lacked  naval  strength,  and  were  defeated  by  seamen 
from  Sicily  and  Catalania.  Peter  of  Aragon  joined 
the  party  of  revolt  in  Sicily,  landing  at  Trapani  shortly 
before  Charles  of  Anjou  was  called  away  from  the 
scene  of  war  to  France  on  urgent  business.  In  his 
absence  a  great  attack  was  made  by  sea  on  Naples, 
led  by  the  capable  Calabrian  admiral  Roger  of  Lauria. 
Charles's  heir,  most  of  the  Angevin  generals,  and 
Hugh  of  Brienne  were  among  the  distinguished 
prisoners.  The  captured  men-at-arms  were  massacred 
indiscriminately,  and  the  same  fate  nearly  befell  their 
leaders,  but  finally  the  latter  were  released  on  parole, 
broken  as  soon  as  it  suited  them. 

Brienne  returned  to  Lecce,  which  he  found  in  a  sad 
state,  impoverished  by  the  ceaseless  levies  of  men  and 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  121 

money  for  war.  Shortly  after  his  arrival,  King  Charles's 
death  in  January  1285  left  Southern  Italy  at  the  mercy 
of  a  terrible  foe,  and  before  the  spring  was  out  Roger 
of  Lauria  appeared  with  his  invincible  fleet.  He 
easily  captured  Gallipoli,  and  laid  waste  much  of  the 
neighbourhood.  Lecce,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  did 
not  escape.  From  May  9th  to  June  nth  of  that  year 
the  town  was  deserted  by  the  terrified  citizens,  who 
had  fled  in  all  directions  to  more  safe  shelters  on  the 
news  of  an  enemy's  approach.  Yet  it  seems  probable 
that  the  foe  was  not  Roger  of  Lauria,  but  rather  some 
wandering  band  in  search  of  loot.  It  is  difficult  to 
put  oneself  in  the  position  of  Lecce  citizens  in  1285, 
but  one  cannot  believe  that  they  could  have  found  life 
worth  living.  A  glance  backwards  through  these 
pages,  incomplete  as  is  their  record,  hardly  shows  any 
period  equal  to  the  life-time  of  an  old  man  in  which 
the  city  was  not  sacked  by  some  foe,  usually  a  savage 
and  merciless  one.  And  it  is  more  to  be  regretted 
that  a  glance  ahead — into  centuries  when  humanity  is 
supposed  to  have  progressed  considerably — is  little 
more  satisfactory.  The  city  seems  to  have  been  so 
exposed  to  attack  in  its  flat  plain  between  the  seas 
that  nothing  could  save  it. 

Hugh,  during  his  residence  there,  considered  the 
problem  in  all  its  aspects.  He  built  better  walls  and 
fortified  them  according  to  the  latest  military  practice. 
The  citizens'  spirit  being  thoroughly  cowed  and 
broken  by  repeated  calamity,  he  decided  to  form  a 
more  reliable  garrison.  With  this  object  he  tried  to 
persuade  as  many  as  possible  of  his  vassals  to  live 
for  a  certain  proportion  of  the  year  within  the  city, 
and  even  to  get  statutory  powers  to  compel  them  to 
do  so.     But  in  both  endeavours  he  was  unsuccessful. 


122  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

None  of  the  neighbouring  barons  dare  leave  their 
castles  and  estates  for  a  moment.  Lauria  had  left 
strong  garrisons  at  Taranto  and  at  Brindisi,  while 
a  large  squadron  under  Berenger  de  Villaraut  was 
known  to  be  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  devastated 
all  the  littoral  from  Cotrone  to  Brindisi  in  the  summer 
of  1286. 

The  war-cloud,  however,  soon  moved  south-west 
into  Sicily,  and  Hugh  followed  it,  this  time  in  the 
guise  of  a  sailor.  He  was  captured  once  more,  but 
escaped  by  paying  an  enormous  ransom,  so  enormous 
that  even  his  resources  were  crippled  thereby.  With 
a  temporary  truce,  he  again  had  an  opportunity  to 
set  his  house  in  order.  A  message  had  arrived  from 
Greece  telling  him  of  the  death  of  his  brother-in-law, 
William  de  la  Roche,  Duke  of  Athens,  whose  wife  was 
thus  left  a  widow.  From  what  we  know  of  Hugh's 
ambitions  already,  one  fears  that  his  visit  of  condolence 
to  the  stricken  dame  was  not  the  disinterested  effort 
it  seemed  to  her.  "  He  passed  several  days  in  con- 
soling her,"  says  the  story,  "  and  put  so  much 
warmth  into  it  that  she  became  enamoured  of  him." 
At  the  end  of  the  next  year  they  were  married,  and 
Hugh  thus  became  guardian  of  the  Duchy  of  Athens 
on  her  death  in  1294  or  1295.  Still,  it  is  hard  not 
to  forgive  so  picturesque  a  figure  for  an  act  of  only 
normal  Norman  astuteness,  and  the  spectacle  conjured 
up  of  this  ambitious  middle-aged  Hugh — the  terror  of 
his  neighbours — spending  a  few  days  consoling  the 
inconsolable  widow,  is  too  amusing  to  be  criticised. 

The  three  years  intervening  before  his  second 
wife's  early  death  he  spent  in  his  new  territory  of 
Greece,  which  was  indeed  a  heritage  he  might  well 
have  desired.     It  had  been  carved  out  of  the  Eastern 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  123 

Empire  a  hundred  3^ears  before  by  one  Otto  de  la 
Roche,  a  simple  squire  of  Franche-Comte.  Under 
his  successors  it  had  become  prosperous  and  valuable. 
North  of  the  Isthmus  it  comprised  the  ancient  states 
of  Attica,  Boeotia,  Phocis,  and  Locris  ;  south — a  great 
part  of  Argolis.  Few  among  European  princes  were 
more  powerful  at  this  time  than  Hugh  had  now 
become,  and  the  French  spoken  at  Athens  was  as  pure 
as  that  of  Paris.  Greece  had  not  in  those  days  fallen 
so  low  as  she  has  to-day.  Although  not  so  flourishing 
as  before  the  Roman  Conquest,  there  were  few  more 
civilised  and  industrious  countries  existing  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  Athens  was  still  a  rich  and  populous 
city.  The  surrounding  country  was  dotted  with 
numerous  villages.  The  land  was  highly  cultivated, 
irrigated  by  canals,  and  covered  with  vineyards  and 
groves  of  orange,  lemon,  fig,  and  olive  trees.  Cotton, 
silk,  and  Attic  leather  kept  the  local  manufacturers 
busy,  and  found  a  ready  market  abroad.  The  trade 
of  the  Duchy  was  considerable ;  and,  lastly,  the  taxes 
paid  by  the  Greek  landowners  and  merchants,  whom 
the  Dukes  had  wisely  left  independent,  assured 
them  of  a  revenue  which  even  kings  would  have 
envied. 

Hugh's  last  battle  was  in  Lecce.  In  July  1296 
Charles  II.  appointed  him  Captain-General  for  Apulia 
and  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  with  special  charge  of  the 
defence  of  Brindisi.  But  Lauria  landed  secretly  at 
San  Cataldo  one  night,  was  at  Lecce  before  any 
warning  had  reached  the  city,  and  had  little  difficulty 
in  overcoming  all  resistance.  Again  the  city  was 
delivered  to  the  sword,  Hugh  dying  of  his  wounds 
before  he  was  taken  prisoner.  So  it  was  by  another 
hand  that  Brindisi  was  defended. 


124  IN    THE    HEEL    OF   ITALY 

Walter  V 
(1296— 131 1) 

The  third  Walter  to  hold  the  title  of  Lecce,  fifth  of 
his  name  of  the  Brienne  house,  spent  a  less  proportion 
of  his  life  in  the  Terra  d'Otranto  than  any  of  his 
predecessors  ;  and  of  the  fifteen  years  that  he  was 
Count,  from  1296  to  131 1,  the  greater  part  of  his  time 
was  occupied  in  fighting.  His  short  career  is,  how- 
ever, too  interesting  to  be  omitted  from  this  story. 
His  accession  to  the  title  found  the  war  of  the  Sicilian 
vespers  still  in  full  swing,  but  it  had  now  entered 
a  new  phase.  Walter's  exploits  had  already  won  him 
a  reputation  for  daring  among  the  Angevin  veterans, 
and  on  his  father's  death  he  joined  many  other  Apulian 
nobles  in  avenging  their  wrongs  on  Sicily.  In  the 
autumn  of  1299  he  went  to  France  on  recruiting  bent, 
and  returned  with  three  hundred  picked  warriors  who 
had  sworn  to  conquer  Frederick's  general  or  to  die. 
Under  the  name  of  "  Chevaliers  de  la  Mort "  this  little 
force  joined  the  Duke  of  Calabria  at  Catania. 

Meanwhile  Lauria  had  gone  to  Naples  to  seek  re- 
inforcements, and  had  made  young  Prince  Robert 
promise  to  remain  shut  up  in  Catania  till  his  return. 
In  the  neighbouring  fortress  of  Gagliano  (near  Etna) 
was  a  youthful  prisoner,  one  Morelet.  The  crafty 
officer  who  was  acting  as  gaoler  conceived  a  notion 
of  persuading  Morelet  of  his  sympathy,  so  that  a  letter 
should  be  written  in  the  captive's  name  to  Prince 
Robert,  advising  him  to  march  on  Gagliano,  of  which 
the  gates  would  be  opened  to  him.  Robert  was 
ambitious  of  fame,  and  fell  into  the  snare.  He  dis- 
patched  Walter   of  Brienne   at  the  head   of  a  small 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  125 

attacking  party.  The  venture  was  a  dismal  failure. 
Brienne  was  taken  prisoner,  and  the  wretched  Morelet 
ended  a  miserable  existence  in  suicide. 

This  reverse  being  followed  by  others,  greatly  in- 
jured the  Angevin  cause,  and  the  Sicilians  who  had 
abandoned  Frederick's  party  now  hastened  to  rejoin 
him.  For  three  years  more  the  Pope,  Charles  of 
Anjou,  and  Robert  of  Calabria,  made  unheard-of  efforts 
to  conquer  Sicily ;  but  the  resistance  of  the  young 
king  tired  them  out,  and  in  1303  a  brilliant  peace  was 
concluded,  leaving  him  the  crown  he  had  so  well 
defended.  This  settlement  gave  Brienne  his  liberty. 
He  returned  to  France,  and  married  Joanna  of 
Chatillon,  daughter  of  Count  Walter  de  Porcian,  to 
whom  Philip  the  Fair  had  confided  the  sword  of  the 
Constable  of  France.  For  many  years  he  remained 
north  of  the  Alps,  and  did  not  return  to  Italy 
till  1308. 

The  only  record  of  any  connection  with  his  Lecce 
domain  during  this  period  is  in  a  message  sent  by  him 
to  his  vassals  there  in  1301,  asking  for  £6^0  odd  to 
settle  a  debt  which  necessity  had  obliged  him  to 
contract  while  in  prison.  It  is  impossible  that  he  can 
have  been  actually  poor  at  this  time,  but  his  estates 
had  been  sequestered.  The  letter  was  sent  to  his 
steward,  and  prayed  that  if  he  were  absent  the  money 
should  be  paid  to  Oddo  di  Bernardo,  Lauria's  envoy. 
After  a  few  months  in  Italy,  spent  presumably  at 
Lecce,  Walter  became  Duke  of  Athens  on  the  death 
of  his  cousin,  Guy  de  la  Roche.  Without  delay  he 
sailed  to  his  new  possession,  and  almost  immediately 
had  to  fight  for  it. 

The  despot  of  Epirus  and  the  Prince  of  Wallachia, 
supported  by  the  Emperor's  lieutenants,  had  crossed 


126  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

his  northern  frontiers.  To  oppose  them  he  decided 
to  engage  a  celebrated  band  of  mercenaries  known 
as  the  Catalanian  Grande-Compagnie,  who  had  been 
ravaging  the  Eastern  Empire  for  five  years.  First 
formed  to  defend  the  Emperor  Andronicus  from  the 
Turks,  they  had  remained  in  Asia  Minor  ever  since, 
until  their  cruel  habits  had  at  last  caused  them  to  be 
ejected.  Five  thousand  had  been  living  in  Gallipoli 
(it  is  unlikely  that  Gallipoli  near  Lecce  is  meant  here), 
where  they  held  in  check  all  the  Byzantine  army, 
Walter's  summons  found  them  in  Thessalonica ;  and 
the  whole  force,  6,500  strong,  accepted  his  terms  of 
service,  which  seem  to  have  been  lavish  to  a  degree. 
They  spent  a  year  in  a  leisurely  crossing  of  Thessaly, 
but  on  reaching  the  scene  of  war  soon  made  short 
work  of  their  antagonists. 

Arrived  in  one  of  those  well-favoured  lands  so 
agreeable  to  their  tastes,  they  showed  no  disposition 
to  bid  their  employer  farewell.  Persuasion  having 
been  tried,  he  had  to  resort  to  force  to  drive  them  out 
of  his  territory ;  and  in  a  great  battle  on  the  banks  of 
the  Cephissus  he  was  defeated  and  killed.  Queen 
Mary  of  Enghien  obtained  his  skull,  or,  as  some  say, 
his  skeleton,  from  the  Catalanians,  and  had  it  buried 
in  the  Bishop's  Palace  at  Lecce.  Over  it  she  erected 
a  monument  without  any  inscription.  In  1634  this 
was  still  to  be  seen  near  the  altar  of  the  barons 
of  Cellino,  but  no  trace  of  it  remains  to-day. 

Walter  VI 

(1311  — 1356) 

The  last  Walter  of  Lecce  and  Brienne  is  by  far  the 
most  romantic  character  in  all  the  city's  annals.     He 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  127 

it  was  who  by  a  coup  de  main  held  Florence  with  a 
dictator's  iron  hand  when  Florence  was  one  of  the 
lustiest  democracies  in  Italy.  Plays  have  been 
written  about  him  and  poems  galore,  for  his  is  a 
thrilling  history,  and  he  is  perhaps  Lecce's  most 
famous  son. 

Authorities  differ  as  to  the  date  of  his  birth,  but 
it  was  probably  about  1299,  so  that  he  was  still  a 
child  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death.  Joanna  did 
not  allow  herself  to  be  prostrated  by  grief,  but  re- 
turned to  Naples  from  Athens,  and  at  King  Robert's 
Court  her  two  children — Walter  and  Isabel — were 
brought  up. 

All  her  efforts  were  devoted  to  regaining  the  lost 
Duchy  of  Athens,  which  the  fierce  Catalanians  still 
held.  Her  father,  the  Count  de  Porcian,  led  an  army 
against  them,  but  without  success.  Much  money  was 
swallowed  up  by  this  fighting,  and  Joanna  drew  freely 
from  her  own  income,  as  well  as  from  the  estates  over 
which  she  held  guardianship  during  her  son's  minority. 
Yet,  though  everything  was  being  done  with  a  view 
to  reinstating  the  family  heritage  in  its  former  splen- 
dour, Walter  seems  to  have  taken  umbrage  at  the 
way  in  which  his  expectations  were  being  mortgaged, 
and  in  1320  we  actually  read  of  his  bringing  an  action 
against  his  mother  on  this  account,  immediately  on 
attaining  his  majority.  Ungrateful  wretch,  is  the 
natural  thought  on  reading  the  affair  in  de  Simone's 
book,  but  the  French  biographer — by  no  means  a 
panegyrist — makes  light  of  it.  Walter  may  have  been 
asserting  no  more  than  his  formal  rights  on  taking 
possession  of  the  estates.  The  case  was  tried  by 
twelve  commissioners  nominated  at  the  behest  of 
King  Phihp  "The  Long,"  at  Naples. 


128  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Joanna  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  a  brave  and 
high-spirited  dame,  who  risked  much  for  her  son's 
future.  Proud  and  ambitious  as  she  was,  she  probably 
instilled  into  him  that  insatiable  love  of  power  which 
later  made  him  the  marvel  of  Europe.  Her  career 
is  less  clouded  by  intrigue  than  was  that  of  Sybil 
and  Albiria  in  an  earlier  period,  but  in  each  case  there 
was  a  long  period  of  exile  in  a  foreign  land,  a  beseech- 
ing of  chivalrous  knights  to  rescue  lost  lands  from  a 
usurper.  Joanna  died  in  1354,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Franciscan  church  at  Troyes,  where  her  son  erected 
a  statue  over  her  tomb  with  this  quaint  inscription  : 

"  Cy  gist  Madame  Jeanne  de  Chastillon  Duchesse 
d'Athenes  de  Brene  et  Liche  qui  fut  fille  de  Monsieur 
Gaucher  Seigneur  de  Chastillon  Comte  de  Porsien 
jadis  Connetable  de  France  laquelle  trespassa  I'an 
de  grace  mcccliv  le  xvi  Janvier.  Priez  pour  I'ame 
de  ly." 

Documents  of  the  period  tell  with  some  accuracy 
the  extent  of  the  county  of  Lecce  in  those  days.  It  was 
held  "  by  paternal  inheritance  and  not  by  favour  of 
King  Robert  of  Naples,  as  Paoli  would  have  us  believe." 
The  area  was  about  forty-eight  miles  long  and  sixteen 
wide,  with  twenty-six  villages,  of  which  Genuine 
gives  us  twenty-four  by  name.  They  are  :  Aquarica, 
Burgagne,  Turchiarolo,  Terenzano,  Trepuzzi,  Squin- 
zano,  Campi,  Santa  Maria  di  Nove,  Carmiano,  Arne- 
sano,  Monteroni,  San  Cesario,  Lequile,  Caprarica, 
Castri,  Cavallino,  Fasolo,  San  Donato,  Lizzanello, 
Pisignano,  Vanze,  Struda,  Segine,  and  Roca. 

Walter,  even  in  boyhood,  had,  like  his  father,  control 
over  the  revenues  [Apodixarius]  of  his  province,  and 
it  is  recorded  of  his  sojourn  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  129 

that  he  obtained  permission  to  rebuild  the  walls  of 
Lecce,  shattered  long  before,  in  Hugh's  day.  He  also 
had  judicial  proceedings  with  the  inhabitants  of  S. 
Pietro  Vernotico,  and  later  he  exempted  the  city  of 
Lecce  from  inclusion  in  the  levy  to  defray  the  cost 
of  repairing  the  neighbouring  fortress  of  Brindisi. 

In  1322  King  Robert  made  him  marry  one  of  his 
brother  Philip's  daughters,  Princess  Margaret  of 
Anjou  and  Taranto.  Like  Yolande's  a  century  before, 
the  wedding  took  place  at  Brindisi,  where  the  Briennes 
had  a  magnificent  palace,  which  no  longer  remains,  but 
in  1700  was  still  to  be  seen  in  all  its  glory,  and  had 
Roman  baths  incorporated  in  the  mediaeval  structure. 
Living  for  the  most  part  at  the  Naples  Court,  he 
rapidly  acquired  great  influence  over  both  King  Robert 
and  his  son,  Charles  of  Calabria.  In  1326  he  was 
sent  to  Florence,  which  had  appointed  Charles  as  its 
Seigneur  for  ten  years,  and  lived  in  the  Casa  del 
Mozzi  by  the  Arno.  His  entry  into  Florence  with 
his  young  wife  was  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing, 
the  citizens  flocking  to  meet  him. 

For  five  years  he  lived  the  gay  and  easy  life  of  a 
favoured  ambassador. 

Robert's  aid  in  battle  meant  much  to  the  people 
of  Florence,  and  his  envoy  received  every  mark  of 
flattery  and  respect  that  the  subtlety  of  man  could 
devise.  But  his  dream  was  rudely  interrupted  in 
1 33 1  by  bad  news  from  Greece.  Roger  Mara- 
monte,  his  lieutenant  there  (probably  a  Lecce  citizen, 
if  there  is  anything  in  a  name),  had  to  report  that 
his  little  remaining  territory  was  being  attacked 
by  the  Catalanians,  still  a  terror  to  the  surrounding 
countries.  Without  losing  a  moment,  he  called  upon 
all  his  allies  and  sympathisers  for  their  aid — the  King 

9 


130  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

of  France,  his  vassals  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  and 
others.  The  Pope,  too,  was  willing  to  help,  and  pro- 
claimed a  crusade  in  his  favour  to  the  Archbishops 
of  Otranto,  Corinth,  and  Patras.  Then  there  was 
Catherine,  the  widow  of  Philip  of  Anjou,  who  had 
her  axe  to  grind.  She  had  already  lost  most  of  the 
property  she  held  in  Greece,  and  now  saw  the  rest 
in  jeopardy. 

At  Oria,  near  Lecce,  she  and  Walter  arranged  a 
treaty,  in  which  it  was  stipulated  that  the  latter 
should  have  a  third  of  any  of  her  lands  that  he  could 
reconquer.  This  was  not  his  first  attempt  at  re- 
covering his  Duchy.  Some  three  years  before,  he 
had  almost  completed  arrangements  for  an  expedi- 
tion, which  Charles  of  Anjou's  sudden  death  had 
prevented. 

Crossing  from  Brindisi  in  four  ships  hired  from 
Genoese  owners,  he  took  Corfu  and  landed  in  Greece. 
His  army  consisted  of  800  French  cavalry,  500  Tuscan 
foot,  and  a  contingent  from  Lecce  and  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto.  The  Catalanians  were  routed  in  the  first 
encounter,  and  Walter  took  possession  of  Arta.  His 
opponents  feared  another  pitched  battle  and  resorted 
to  guerilla  tactics,  tiring  him  out  with  skirmishes  and 
feints,  till  at  last  one  day  they  surrounded  and  defeated 
him.  Thoroughly  disheartened,  afflicted  too  by  the 
loss  of  his  only  child,  who  had  been  killed  during  the 
fighting,  he  boarded  his  ships  and  returned  to  Apulia, 
having  lost  many  men  and  crippled  his  resources. 

For  some  years  after  this  he  lived  in  Lecce,  but  his 
ambitious  spirit  would  not  allow  him  to  enjoy  the 
peaceful  slumber  of  a  feudal  baron's  existence  in  times 
of  peace,  and  in  1339  he  was  once  more  on  the  war- 
path, fighting  in  France  under  the  standard  of  Philip 


LECCE    UNDER   THE    BRIENNES  131 

of  Valois  against  the  English.  In  1342  he  was  again 
back  in  Italy  on  the  threshold  of  the  most  romantic 
epoch  of  his  life.  Though  in  no  way  part  of  Lecce 
history,  something  must  be  said  of  those  stirring 
events. 

In  Florence,  sixteen  years  earlier,  as  envoy  from 
Naples,  he  had  been  extraordinarily  popular.  Charles 
of  Calabria — whose  position  he  had  thus  so  well 
filled — was  but  a  poor  soldier,  and  had  wasted  his 
time  in  riotous  living  during  his  period  of  office  in 
the  city.  Walter,  on  the  other  hand,  had  been  slowly 
acquiring  a  military  reputation  on  various  European 
campaigns.  So  that  when  Florence  and  Pisa  found 
themselves  at  strife  about  affairs  in  Lucca,  it  was  only 
natural  that  men's  thoughts  should  turn  towards  the 
adventurer  now  returned  to  Italy.  Probably  he 
offered  himself  as  general,  certainly  he  lost  no  time 
in  arranging  terms,  and  in  May  was  busily  recruiting 
at  Naples.  A  short  and  brilliant  spring  campaign 
made  him  the  hero  of  the  day,  and  Malatesta  da  Rimini 
was  already  displaced  from  the  office  he  had  held 
hitherto.  Intriguing  on  every  side,  playing  to  the 
gallery,  executing  every  burgher  who  opposed  his 
wishes,  he  soon  rose  to  despotic  power,  and  on 
September  8th  was  appointed  Lord  of  Florence  for 
life— 

"  amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  lowest  sections  of 
the  mob  and  the  paid  retainers  of  the  treacherous 
nobles.  The  Priors  were  driven  from  their  palace, 
the  books  of  the  Ordinances  destroyed,  and  the  Duke's 
banner  erected  upon  the  People's  Tower,  while  the 
church  bells  rang  out  the  '  Te  Deum.'  Arezzo, 
Pistoia,  Colle  di  Val  d'  Elsa,  San  Gemignano,  and 
Volterra  acknowledged  his  rule;  and  with  a  curious 


132  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

mixture  of  hypocrisy,  immorality,  and  revolting 
cruelty,  he  reigned  as  absolute  lord  until  the  following 
summer,  backed  by  French  and  Burgundian  soldiers, 
who  flocked  to  him  from  all  quarters.  By  that  time 
he  had  utterly  disgusted  all  classes  in  the  State,  even 
the  magnates  by  whose  favour  he  had  won  his  throne, 
and  the  populace  who  had  acclaimed  him  ;  and  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Anne,  July  26th,  1343,  there  was  a  general 
rising.  The  instruments  of  his  cruelty  were  literally 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  people,  and  he  was  besieged  in 
the  Palazzo  Vecchio,  which  he  had  transformed  into 
a  fortress,  and  at  length  capitulated  on  August  3rd. 
The  Sienese  and  Count  Simone  de'Conti  Guidi,  who 
had  come  to  mediate,  took  him  over  the  Ponte  Ruba- 
cante,  through  the  Porta  San  Niccolo,  and  thence 
into  the  Casentino,  where  they  made  him  solemnly 
ratify  his  abdication. 

"  '  Note,'  says  Giovanni  Villani,  who  was  present  at 
most  of  these  things  and  has  given  us  a  most  vivid 
picture  of  them,  *  that  even  as  the  Duke  with  fraud 
and  treason  took  away  the  liberty  of  the  Republic  of 
Florence  on  the  Day  of  our  Lady  in  September,  not 
regarding  the  reverence  due  to  her,  so  as  it  were  in 
divine  vengeance,  God  permitted  that  the  free  citizens 
with  armed  hand  should  win  it  back  on  the  day  of  her 
mother,  Madonna  Santa  Anna,  on  the  26th  day  of 
July  1343;  and  for  his  grace  it  was  ordained  by  the 
Commune  that  the  Feast  of  St.  Anne  should  ever  be 
kept  like  Easter  in  Florence,  and  that  there  should 
be  celebrated  a  solemn  office  and  great  offerings  by 
the  Commune  and  all  the  Arts  of  Florence.'  .  .  . 
One  of  Villani's  minor  grievances  against  the  Duke 
is  that  he  introduced  frivolous  French  fashions  of 
dress  into  the  city,  instead  of  the  stately  old  Florentine 
costume,  which  the  Republicans  considered  to  be  the 
authentic  garb  of  ancient  Rome."  ^ 

'  From  "  Florence."  Mediaeval  Towns  Series,  pp.  57-8.  By  Mr. 
Edmund  G.  Gardner,  M.A. 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  133 

None  took  a  more  prominent  part  in  this  meteoric 
career  than  Giovanni,  bishop  of  Lecce,  whom  Walter 
made  his  Chancellor.  This  prelate  seems  to  have  had 
but  little  regard  for  the  feelings  of  clerics,  and  to  have 
overridden  the  decisions  of  the  ecclesiastical  courts 
in  a  most  high-handed  way,  until  he  fell,  in  July  1343, 
as  the  result  of  a  conspiracy  instigated  by  Bishop 
Acciajuoli,  which  then  blazed  into  rebellion.  Faithful 
to  the  last,  he  apparently  remained  as  Chancellor  with 
Walter  during  that  fateful  August,  drew  up  the  deed 
by  which  his  master  resigned  his  lordship  of  Florence, 
and  fled  with  him  finally  from  the  city  when  all  was 
lost,  thus  contradicting  the  old  Italian  saw  : 

11  dolce  piovera  dopo  I'amaro, 

as  de  Simone  aptly  quotes  in  commenting  on  the 
story.  One  instance  of  the  Bishop's  behaviour  in  the 
law  courts  may  be  cited. 

As  was  no  rare  occurrence  in  those  days,  one  Comus 
Vanni  happened  to  seduce  a  certain  "  Agnesia  filia 
olim  Boni,"  under  promise  of  marriage,  but  the  gifted 
saint  (so  the  cynical  chronicler  has  it)  repented  of  his 
rashly  made  vow,  and  refused  to  make  her  his  wife. 
The  unhappy  girl  he  had  deceived  forthwith  haled 
him  before  the  Baglione  of  the  city,  and  Vanni — 
"  proponendo  quod  laicus  judex  de  matrimoniali  causa 
cognitionem  non  habet  " — took  the  case  to  the  ecclesi- 
astical Curia.  Agnes  did  not  appear  for  sufficiently 
good  reasons ;  the  priests  excommunicated  her  for 
contempt  of  court,  and  she  passionately  appealed  to 
the  clemency  of  the  Duke,  who  denied  that  her  case 
should  be  tried  in  the  civil  courts.  We  can  well 
imagine  to-day  what  this  decision  must  have  meant 
to   the  Bishop  of  Florence  and  the  clerical  party  in 


134  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

general,  what  sore  hearts  there  must  have  been 
against  the  Duke,  what  jealousy  and  gnashing  of 
teeth  against  the  Bishop  of  Lecce,  who  as  Chancellor 
had  signed  the  decree.  Such  squabbles  were  con- 
stantly arising  between  Church  and  State,  the  Church 
wishing  to  control  not  only  the  social  limits  of 
marriage  but  even  the  civil  contracts  and  settlements. 
This  was  only  one  drop  in  the  brimming  cup  of 
Walter's  many  indiscretions,  yet  here  he  appears  as 
the  champion  of  the  unfortunate  against  the  narrow 
intolerance  of  bigoted  ecclesiastics. 

Many  memories  remain  of  Walter  at  Florence,  and 
his  arms  may  still  be  seen  in  the  Bargello — but  already 
we  are  forgetting  Lecce  in  the  adventures  of  her 
titular  lord. 

He  made  his  way  there  from  Florence  as  fast  as 
human  power  could  carry  him,  taking  a  boat  from 
Venice  down  the  Adriatic.  However,  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  settled  down  in  the  city,  crossing  almost 
at  once  to  Naples  to  beg  assistance  against  the 
Florentines.  He  was  just  too  late.  Acciajuoli  had 
forestalled  him  and  had  already  gained  the  ear  of 
Queen  Joanna,  who  had  been  hitherto  favourably 
inclined  to  her  romantic  middle-aged  kinsman.  She 
was  a  mere  child,  an  excitable,  sensuous  girl,  who 
hated  her  husband  and  had  already  an  understanding 
with  her  cousin  Louis  of  Taranto.  Of  her  frivolous 
brain  the  sly  ecclesiastic — well  versed  in  every  flatter- 
ing wile,  and  not  too  particular  about  points  of  virtue — 
soon  made  short  work.  His  triumph  was  an  easy 
one  after  his  strenuous  efforts  of  the  preceding  months 
which  had  ended  in  Walter's  downfall,  and  when  the 
latter  rode  anxiously  into  the  Palace  courtyard  at 
Naples  he  found  the  oily  face  of  the  Florentine  bishop 


LECCE    UNDER   THE    BRIENNES  135 

in  the  place  of  power,  and  the  hand  of  every  man 
turned  against  him. 

Defeated  and  dispirited,  he  wended  north  to  Avignon 
and  to  Paris  in  search  of  an  ally.  Yet  at  every  court 
the  envoy  of  Florence  had  preceded  him.  The  Pope 
had  been  persuaded,  but  in  King  Philip  he  found  a 
sympathetic  listener,  and  abode  many  years  in  his 
friendly  city. 

It  was  not  till  1352  or  1353  that  Walter  returned 
to  Lecce  for  a  few  quiet  years  before  his  last  cam- 
paign, probably  in  the  company  of  his  second  wife, 
Jeanne  de  Brienne  d'Eu,  last  descendant  of  old  King 
John  of  Jerusalem.  Any  intentions  he  may  have 
had  as  to  leading  the  life  of  a  retired  country  noble- 
man were  abruptly  dispelled,  and  he  had  to  fight 
to  defend  his  territories  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto. 
Francis  of  Caserta,  in  concert  with  Louis  of 
Taranto,  had  succeeded  in  occupying  the  county 
of  Lecce  by  force  of  arms,  and  up  to  Walter's 
arrival  had  been  ravaging  the  district.  The  rightful 
owner  attacked  Caserta,  and  obliged  him  to  shut 
himself  up  in  Taranto,  but  found  the  siege  of  that 
strong  fortress  too  much  for  him  without  heavy  and 
elaborate  engines. 

After  this  there  was  continued  trouble  at  Brindisi, 
which  was  divided  into  two  factions  after  the  manner 
of  Guelfs  and  Ghibellines — the  parties  of  Ripa  and 
Cavalieri.  Filippo  Ripa,  being  in  the  ascendancy  in  1353, 
had  cruelly  and  systematically  massacred  the  Cavalieri 
and  then  fled  to  Greece.  Outlawed  by  Queen  Joanna, 
he  nevertheless  returned  to  rule  the  city.  Walter 
decided  to  enforce  the  law  and  also  to  take  possession 
of  Brindisi,  The  siege  began,  Ripa  found  himself  hard 
pressed,  and  persuaded  the  inhabitants  to  give  them- 


136  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

selves  up  to  the  Prince  of  Taranto,  thus  frustrating 
Walter's  schemes. 

When  not  engaged  in  these  wars  he  busied  himself 
with  Lecce's  local  affairs.  In  August  1352,  by  a  deed 
of  gift  to  the  Celestine  monks,  he  founded  in  that  city 
a  church  and  convent  for  them,  under  the  name  of 
S.  Maria  della  Annunziata  and  S.  Leonardo. 

Returning  from  Otranto  on  one  occasion  after  a 
visit  to  the  East,  he  discovered  the  ruins  of  an  ancient 
city  on  the  Adriatic  shore  only  a  little  less  extensive 
than  those  of  classic  Hydruntum  itself.  On  a  site 
slightly  higher  up  were  the  ruins  of  a  fortress  of 
Greek  construction.  Seeing  the  position  was  well 
suited  for  a  landing-place  and  for  defending  the  fringe 
of  his  territory,  he  decided  to  build  a  citadel  there, 
which  he  named  Rocca  ("  in  the  French  way.  *  Franci 
enim  arcem  roccam  dicunt,'  as  Galateus  and  other  old 
Salantine  chroniclers  tell  us  ").  With  a  view  to  making 
it  a  new  market  for  Lecce  trade,  he  placed  there  a 
camerlengo  or  quaestor  from  that  city,  who  super- 
intended building  operations  and  brought  settlers 
from  Lecce  and  neighbouring  villages.  Rocca  pros- 
pered much,  and  rose  to  the  summit  of  its  Lilliputian 
glory  in  the  times  of  Giovannantonio  del  Balzo  Orsini, 
who,  when  he  tired  of  royal  state  and  all  its  weary 
pomp,  took  up  his  abode  there.  In  1544  Ferrante 
Loffredo,  governor  of  the  provincial  garrison,  being 
no  longer  able  to  defend  it  from  barbarian  incursions, 
alarmed  also  at  the  amount  of  smuggling  carried  on 
there,  destroyed  the  place  utterly,  even  the  walls 
and  citadel  being  razed  by  royal  decree.  Its  homeless 
inhabitants  rebuilt  a  new  village  in  the  neighbourhood, 
which  they  christened  Roca-Nuova.  Roca-Vecchia, 
as  the  old  site  is   now  called,  is  annually  the  scene 


LECCE    UNDER    THE    BRIENNES  137 

of  celebrations  by  the  inhabitants  of  Roca-Nuova,  at 
which  sundry  mysteries  are  performed.  Walter's  last 
actions  before  finally  setting  out  for  France  in  1356 
were  to  send  a  thousand  men,  commanded  by  Ludovico 
Maramonte  and  Niccola  Prato,  as  garrison  to  Athens, 
and  to  write  his  will,  by  which  he  left  to  pious  objects 
alone  the  sum  of  ;^i7,ooo. 

In  May  of  this  year  King  John  II.  of  France  made 
him  Constable,  and  with  this  rank  he  entered  on  the 
campaign  against  England.  On  September  19th  was 
fought  the  great  battle  of  Poitiers.  Fortune  favoured 
King  Edward ;  Walter  was  taken  prisoner.  Aban- 
doned by  his  French  soldiery,  Walter  found  himself 
in  sorry  plight,  tried  to  escape  from  the  melee,  and 
was  struck  in  the  back.  He  fell  heavily  from  his 
horse  ;  a  Florentine  mercenary,  who  may  have  had 
some  old  score  to  settle,  recognised  him  and  stabbed 
him  with  his  dagger.  So  at  last  the  vengeance  of  the 
city  of  Flora  came,  and  he  who  had  spilt  so  much  of 
her  blood  thirteen  years  before,  fell  by  a  humble 
blade  from  Arno's  banks. 

His  body  was  recovered,  and  lies  buried  in  Beaulieu 
Abbey  in  his  own  county  in  Brienne,  beneath  a 
tomb  bearing  this  inscription  : 

"Cy  gist  tres  excellent  Prince  Monsieur  Gautier 
Due  d'Athenes,  Comte  de  Brienne,  Seigneur  de  Liche, 
et  Connetable  de  France,  qui  trespassa  mccclvi  en  la 
bataille  devant  Poitiers,  quand  le  Roy  Jean  fut  pris." 

After  this  long  line  of  Brienne  soldiers,  who  from 
1200  to  1356  had  been  "Seigneurs  de  Liche,"  there 
comes  a  break,  and  the  Enghien  family  from  Belgium 
succeed  to  the  title.  Their  doings — and  especially 
city  affairs  during  their  reigns — occupy  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  V 

LECCE'S    LATER   COUNTS 
(1356— 1463) 

At  the  death  of  the  great  Duke  of  Athens,  Ludovico 
Maramonte  and  Nicolo  Prato,  who  were  in  command 
of  the  garrison  in  Greece,  handed  over  his  sceptre 
to  Joanna  II.  of  Naples.  She  chose  for  a  governor 
of  the  duchy  Nicolo  Acciajuoli,  a  brave  Florentine 
captain  and  a  devoted  adherent  of  the  Angevin  cause. 
The  gallant  officer  was,  no  doubt,  some  relation  of 
the  oily  prelate  whom  we  met  a  few  pages  back,  and 
who  scored  so  successfully  for  his  city  with  the  child- 
queen  of  those  days.  Acciajuoli  took  possession  of 
the  duchy  almost  at  once  in  the  Queen's  name. 

Meanwhile,  what  of  the  Italian  estates?  Walter 
left  no  male  heir,  his  only  son  being  killed  in  the 
Catalan  War.  Beatrice  of  Anjou,  his  first  wife,  bore 
him  a  daughter,  Constance,  who  became  Abbess  of 
the  Convent  of  St.  Bernard  at  Conversano  in  Apulia 
in  1350.  Other  writers  would  bestow  on  him  a 
daughter  Isabella  of  his  second  marriage,  who  in 
marrying  Jean  d'Enghien  brought  him  the  Lecce 
property;  but  de  Simone  points  out  the  fallacy  of 
this  statement,  and   proves   that  it   was    Isabella    his 

138 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS 


139 


sister  who,  by  espousing  Walter  III.,  Lord  of  Enghien, 
changed  the  ownership  of  the  title.  The  wedding 
took  place  in  1320,  the  same  year  in  which  Walter 
of  Brienne  was  at  law  with  his  mother  over  family 


COUNTS  OF  LECCE  (1200-1463) 

Walter  HI.  of  Brienne  (see  p.  92)  m.  Albiria  (Hauteville) 
d.  1211  I 

Walter  IV. 
b.  1205;  Count  1211  ;  d.  1212 

Manfred,  d.  1266 


Hugh  of  Brienne, 
Count  1270-96;  d.  1296 

Walter  V. 

nt.  Joanna  ;  d.  1296 ; 

became  Duke  of  Athens 


Walter  VI. 
the  great  Duke  of  Athens  ; 
d.  1356  ; 
ni.  (i)  Margaret  (2)  Joanna 

^1  I 

I  No  issue 


I«abel4a,  m.  Walter  IV.  of  Enghien 
Countess  1352-63 


Son,  killed        Abbess  Constance 


I  I                                  I 

Sigiero  Louis                       Walter 

m.  Joanna  de  m.  Joanna           b.  1332  ;  d.  1350 

Conde  Sanseverino 

Walter  IV.  Margaret  m.  John  of 

of  Enghien  I       Luxembuig 


Guy         John        Maria 
b-  1373; 
d.  1401 


Peter  of  Luxemburg  ; 

d.  1433; 
m.  Margaret  del  Balzo 


Pirro ; 

d.  1373  ; 
tn.  Margaret 


The  Abbess 

of 
Conversano 


MARY; 

b.  c. 1367  ;  d.  1446  ; 

Countess  1384 

ni.  (i)  Ram.  Orsini         (2)  King  Ladislaus 


John  Anthony  del  Balzo  ; 
d.  1463 


I 
Catharine  m.  Tristran  of  Clairmont 


Isabella  )n.  Ferdinand  I.   1445 
d.  146s     I 


I  I  I  I  I  I 

King  Alfonso        King  Frederick  II. ;        Giovanni      Francesco      Beatrice      Eleanor 
d.  1504; 
ni.  his  cousin, 
Isabella  del  Balzo  ;  d.  1553 


King  Ferdinand  II.      Ferdinand      Alfonso      Cesare     Isabella       Maria       Catherine 
[Note  ;   Thick  line  denotes  succession.) 


140  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

property  and  mortgages  thereon.  To  his  sister  he 
gave  the  estate  of  Praesse,  in  France,  with  an  esti- 
mated rent-roll  of  i^8o  a  year,  and  she  apparently 
succeeded  to  all  his  estates  in  1356,  for  in  a  decree  of 
1 361  she  is  described  as  Duchesse  d'Athenes,  "  seur 
et  heritier  du  defunct  Due  d'Athenes  de  Brienne  et 
de  Liche." 

We  know  less  of  her  than  of  any  other  ruler  of 
Lecce,  even  the  date  of  her  death  being  uncertain. 
Her  husband  was  Count  of  Enghien,  a  small  town 
now  containing  some  four  thousand  inhabitants, 
situated  eighteen  miles  south-west  of  Brussels  on 
the  line  to  Lille.  The  ancestral  chateau  of  his  family 
stood  in  a  park  here,  still  a  lovely  place,  till  it  was 
destroyed  in  the  fury  of  the  French  Revolution.  Of 
children  they  had  six,  and  of  these  probably  three 
were  Counts  of  Lecce  in  reality,  though  it  is  doubtful 
if  any  actually  claimed  it.  De  Simone  writes  very 
learnedly  about  the  possibility  of  all  these  things, 
but  surely  it  is  a  matter  of  no  great  moment,  seeing 
that  so  little  is  known  of  Isabella  herself  or  of 
Sigiero  her  firstborn.  The  latter  had  a  son  Walter, 
who  left  no  descendants,  and  the  county  of  Lecce 
was  next  held  by  a  more  real  personage,  Louis, 
second  son  of  Isabella. 

He  at  least  spent  some  of  his  time  in  Italy,  and 
appears  to  have  been  invested  with  the  lordship  of 
Conversano  (curiously  enough,  this  was  one  of  the 
Hauteville  titles  in  Norman  times)  as  a  reward 
for  his  help  against  Ambrogio,  Visconti  of  Milan, 
There  had  been  fighting  near  Lecce  in  this  war,  for 
it  was  at  Poggiardo  near  Otranto  that  the  Milanese 
were  routed  and  Visconti  taken  a  prisoner.  This  was 
no  small  victory,  for  Ambrogio  had  been  gaily  seeking 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  141 

his  fortune  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples  under  the 
banner  of  St.  George,  and  with  a  "  company "  of 
12,000  men.  The  number  sounds  exaggerated.  Louis 
was  also  incidentally  Count  of  Copertino  in  this  part 
of  the  world,  and  fought  for  Queen  Joanna  against 
Francesco  del  Balzo,  beating  him,  and  driving  him 
in  exile  from  the  kingdom.  His  daughter  married 
into  the  Luxembourg  family,  and  eventually  succeeded 
to  the  Brienne  and  Enghien  properties. 

The  third  of  Isabella's  sons  to  hold  the  Lecce  title 
was  John,  who  is  only  noteworthy  to  us  from  having 
died  at  Lecce  in  1373,  and  from  having  had  two  child- 
ren, Pirro  and  Mary,  who  are  connected  with  the  city. 

Pirro  became  Count  of  Lecce,  and  when  he  arrived 
there  in  May  1376  for  the  first  time,  accompanied  by 
Francesco  del  Balzo,  the  Duke  of  Andria,  and  by  his 
uncle  Louis  of  Enghien  and  Conversano,  was  re- 
ceived with  great  acclamation  by  the  inhabitants. 
About  four  years  later  his  friend  Francesco  del  Balzo 
appeared  again  in  a  new  role,  that  of  suitor.  It 
has  already  been  said  that  Queen  Joanna  had 
banished  him  a  few  years  before,  though  we  read  of 
him  as  resisting  Lecce  in  the  company  of  Louis  of 
Enghien,  her  right-hand  man  ! 

But  in  1378  he  came  again  to  attack  her  dominions 
with  a  band  of  Breton  and  English  adventurers  to 
fight  the  Queen's  forces.  They  were  commanded  by 
one  John  "  Montauto,"  or  "  Montacuto,"  so  the  Italian 
chroniclers  say,  but  English  spelling  worries  them, 
and  they  add  that  his  real  surname  was  "  Hawchwood  " 
transformed  into  "  Montegu  "  or  "  Montegue  "  ;  also 
that  he  came  of  an  old  Northamptonshire  family 
sprung  from  one  Drogo,  a  warrior  who  accompanied 
William  the  Conqueror  to  England. 


142  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

The  exact  identity  of  John  Hawchwood,  or  John 
Montegue,  is  very  difficult  to  determine.  The  first 
and  natural  inference  is  that  we  have  come  across 
that  celebrated  condottiere  Sir  John  Hawkwood,  the 
leader  of  the  famous  "  White  Company,"  which 
has  become  the  subject  of  a  well-known  historical 
novel.  Hawkwood  became  known  in  Italy  as 
"  Giovanni  Acuto,"  an  apt  rendering  of  a  difficult 
name  to  a  Latin  tongue,  and  this  may  have  led 
to  the  Italian  historians  confusing  with  Montacuto. 
He  entered  Italy  in  1 361-2,  but  does  not  appear  to 
have  visited  Apulia  until  1382,  when  "the  Pope 
requested  the  French  Government  to  place  him  at 
the  disposal  of  Charles  of  Durazzo,  who  was  fighting 
against  Louis  of  Anjou  for  the  crown  of  Naples.  This 
they  declined  to  do,  but  allowed  Hawkwood  to  go 
to  Naples  on  his  own  account  with  2,000  horse 
(Oct.  22nd)."  1 

The  Duke  of  Anjou  then  gradually  retreated  into 
Apulia,  presumably  followed  by  Hawkwood  and  his 
followers,  with  the  main  body  of  Charles's  army, 
amounting  to  some  16,000  men.  There  was  a  skirmish 
at  Barletta,  a  battle  at  Pietracatella,  and  then  the 
Duke  of  Anjou  died.  Hawkwood  shortly  afterwards 
returned  to  Tuscany,  abandoning  the  affairs  of  Naples 
towards  the  close  of  1383.^ 

If,  then,  we  are  prepared  to  ignore  the  date  given  by 
the  local  chroniclers,  it  is  possible  to  claim  for  Hawk- 
wood the  part  of  leader  of  the  Breton  force  (and  there 
were  Bretons  in  the  "White  Company")  concerned 
in  this  assault. 

On  the  other  hand,  John  de  Montague  or  Montacute, 

^  "  Dictionary  of  National  Biography." 
*  Leader-Scott's  "Giovanni  Acuto." 


LECCE'S    LATER   COUNTS  143 

third  Earl  of  Salisbury,  was  a  descendant  from  Drogo  ; 
was  alive  from  1350  to  1400  ;  and  was  fighting  abroad 
between  1369  and  1391/ 

To  further  complicate  matters,  neither  of  these 
Englishmen  appears  to  have  been  killed  outside  the 
walls  of  Lecce,  in  or  about  the  year  1378! 

However,  whoever  this  mysterious  English  free-lance 
may  have  been,  he  had  6,000  troops,  and  Balzo  hired 
them  for  six  months.  They  were  near  Rome  at  the 
time,  and  had  a  long  march  thence  into  Southern 
Italy  by  way  of  Altamura  and  Canosa. 

And  now  for  Balzo's  real  motive.  Margaret  of 
Taranto,  his  first  wife,  was  dead,  so  he  bethought 
him  of  an  ambitious  alliance.  Mary  of  Enghien — 
a  mere  girl — was  now  the  heir-presumptive  to  all 
the  dominions  of  her  powerful  family.  Only  her 
brother's  life  stood  between  her  and  the  title.  Could 
he  but  win  her — or  rather,  cajole  her  guardians  into 
giving  him  her  hand — here  was  a  match  worthy  even 
of  the  great  Duke  of  Andria.  Perhaps  the  maid  was 
obstinate — she  certainly  displayed  character  enough 
in  later  years :  at  all  events,  his  envoy  had  little 
success.  A  cleric,  the  Bishop  of  Andria,  was  the  chosen 
vessel  for  this  delicate  mission.  Indeed,  affairs  of  the 
heart  in  those  days  were  as  often  as  not  manipulated 
by  men  of  the  cloth. 

But  he  could  obtain  no  satisfaction  from  those  two 
excellent  worthies  at  Lecce — Giovanni  Acaya  and 
Pasquale  Guarino.  These  two  were  not  only  her 
guardians,  but  confidential  friends.  The  Bishop  re- 
turned to  Del  Balzo  with  his  message ;  the  Duke 
was  furious,  and  set  off  towards  Lecce  with  Montague 
and  his  army. 

'  "  Dictionary  of  National  Biography." 


144  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Pirro  now  prepared  to  defend  the  city,  choosing 
Ludovico  Maramonte  as  captain  for  the  approaching 
war.  To  Ludovico  Prato,  with  a  force  of  400  lance,  he 
entrusted  the  defence  of  the  castle.  The  feudal 
vassals  with  their  men-at-arms  now  began  to  pour 
into  the  city  from  all  sides,  as  was  incumbent  on 
them  by  the  terms  of  their  service.  The  din  and 
clamour  of  smiths  and  armourers  was  still  in  the 
air,  and  preparations  were  barely  complete  when 
Balzo's  drums  were  heard  in  the  distance.  Pitching 
his  camp  just  outside  the  walls,  near  the  beautiful 
monastery  church  which  Tancred  had  built  two 
hundred  years  before,  the  Duke  soon  began  to  trouble 
the  citizens  with  his  engines  of  war.  Maramonte 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  keeping  himself  within 
the  city,  for  from  his  adversary's  position,  where 
now  the  flowers  of  the  Campo  Santo  are  blooming, 
the  northern  quarter  of  the  city,  well  fortified  as  it 
was  and  still  is,  was  sadly  exposed.  He  dispatched 
a  faithful  soldier  towards  the  enemy's  camp.  Dis- 
guised, and  assuming  the  part  of  a  fugitive,  this  man 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Bretons.  He  then,  as 
had  been  agreed  in  the  city,  related  how  the  Leccese 
intended  to  make  a  sortie  to  revictual  the  garrison. 
JMontague,  completely  deceived,  fell  into  the  trap, 
and  hid  himself  with  a  picked  force  in  a  place  now 
known  as  Tafagnano,  lying  between  Marine  and  the 
landing-place  of  San  Cataldo.  Here,  the  prisoner 
told  him,  the  besieged  would  pass  on  their  expedition. 
Maramonte  was  carefully  watching  for  any  signs  of 
his  spy's  return,  and  there  being  none,  concluded 
that  the  enemy's  troops  were  divided.  He  then 
dispatched  a  squadron  of  horse,  commanded  by  his 
son   Carlo,  against   the   main   encampment   near   the 


LECCE'S    LATER   COUNTS  145 

monastery.  For  some  reason  best  known  to  them- 
selves, the  Bretons  took  the  newcomers  for  their 
own  followers  returning  from  the  ambuscade,  and 
allowed  Carlo's  cavalry  to  approach.  Then  the  foe 
was  recognised ;  a  panic  took  place  in  the  disordered 
camp,  and  such  turmoil  followed  as  the  cavalry 
charged  that  a  complete  rout  was  the  only  possible 
end. 

Balzo  was  quartered  in  a  house  round  which  the 
battle  was  raging  and  was  saved  by  the  presence  of 
mind  of  a  valet  who  let  him  down  from  a  window  by 
means  of  a  rope  as  the  Leccese  thundered  at  the  door. 
He  then  slipped  into  a  shed  unseen  by  his  opponents 
and  hid  in  an  oven  till  all  was  over,  afterwards  escap- 
ing disguised  as  a  monk.  Meanwhile  news  of  the 
disaster  had  reached  Montague  waiting  at  Tafagnano, 
a  few  miles  away.  Rapidly  dividing  his  force,  he 
hurried  back  with  part  of  it  to  succour  his  employer, 
still  leaving  some  men  behind  to  kill  the  victims  who 
never  came.  But  it  was  this  little  party  at  Tafagnano 
who  next  fell  to  Maramonte's  sword,  and  Montague 
was  met  by  Carlo  as  he  approached  Lecce.  His  men, 
harassed  and  disheartened,  were  caught  between  the 
two  victorious  sections  commanded  by  father  and  son, 
and  completely  destroyed.  Montague  himself  lost  his 
life  on  this  field,  and  it  was  nightfall  when  the  anxious 
citizens  saw  the  procession  of  armed  men  advancing 
out  of  the  gloom  into  the  city.  Prisoners  there  were 
many,  Bretons  and  Britons,  wounded  for  the  most  part 
and  very  weary.  Lecce  was  still  a  storm-centre  and 
used  to  war,  but  for  all  that,  its  inhabitants  had  not 
slept  soundly  these  last  few  nights  with  foreign 
banners  waving  in  sight  of  their  walls.  What  thought 
Mary,  we  wonder,  at  the  proximity  of  this  fierce  suitor, 

10 


146  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

who  was  now  fleeing  along  a  dark  road  with  bare  feet 
and  a  rope  round  his  waist  ? 

There  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  city  that  night, 
and  as  it  happened  to  be  St.  Eligio's  day  in  the 
calendar,  the  captured  banners  were  given  to  the 
church  bearing  that  saint's  name  in  Lecce.  Here  they 
hung  for  centuries,  till  at  last  came  a  day  when  these 
memorials  of  the  great  fight  with  Balzo  and  his 
mercenaries  fell  to  pieces,  and  then  all  that  remained 
to  record  these  events  was  a  painting  on  the  church 
wall  covered  up  by  whitewash  in  recent  times.  One 
of  the  Enghien  standards  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands 
during  this  battle,  but  was  gallantly  recaptured  by  a 
Leccese  citizen  of  the  Porta  San  Biagio  quarter.  As  a 
reward  for  this  his  family  was  allowed  to  marry  into 
any  baronial  family  of  the  city,  though  he  was  not 
himself  of  noble  birth.  Considering  the  bitter  feudal 
class  distinctions  of  those  days,  it  was  indeed  a  high 
honour,  but  he  seems  to  have  borne  it  worthily,  some 
of  his  descendants  marrying  into  noble  houses.  It 
was  moreover  established  by  law  that  in  future  wars 
the  standard  of  Lecce  should  always  be  entrusted  to  a 
citizen  of  the  Porta  San  Biagio. 

Before  passing  to  more  peaceful  subjects  it  is 
interesting  to  glance  at  the  question  of  horsemanship 
in  the  district,  as  in  the  encounter  just  described 
cavalry  played  so  decisive  a  part. 

The  keen  fighting  tradition  which  the  earlier  dwellers 
in  Southern  Italy — Calabrians,  Messapians,  Salentines, 
and  Tarentines — always  kept  up  was  enlivened  by 
the  grafting  on  to  it  of  the  Norman  feudal  system. 
Then  the  obligations  incurred  by  every  baron  and 
seigneur  of  these  lands  to  provide  horses  and  men 
made  fighting  so  much  a  part  of  their  existence,  so 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  147 

valuable  a  factor  in  every  man-at-arms,  that  knightly 
exercises  and  hunting  from  being  a  pastime  became  a 
necessary  part  of  life.  Horses  in  these  days  were 
imported  from  Spain  and  the  East  to  Lecce,  dogs  for 
hunting  from  Spain  only.  The  Salentine  dogs  praised 
by  Varro,  useful  enough  as  house-dogs,  were  ill-suited 
for  hunting. 

There  seems  to  be  no  record  of  ancient  breeds  in 
the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  but  de  Simone  gives  a  list  of  the 
best  local  studs  and  stables  up  to  the  nineteenth 
century,  adding  that  in  his  opinion  the  Provincial 
authorities  would  do  well  to  consider  the  improvement 
of  horsebreeding  in  the  area  under  their  jurisdiction. 
As  for  horsemanship,  Ceva-Grimaldi  remarks  (travel- 
ling in  1818) : 

"  In  justice  to  the  Leccese  it  must  be  said  that  they 
have  not  followed  the  frivolities  of  fashion,  that  they 
still  keep  to  their  ancient  practices,  and  that  both  in 
horses  and  riders  they  are  surprisingly  successful. 
They  use  the  Arab  bridle  and  prefer  the  local  horses 
to  English  or  Norman  breeds." 

Riding  has  always  been  cultivated  in  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto,  and  Lecce  above  all  other  cities  in  the 
kingdom  of  Naples  was  famous  at  the  end  of  the 
eleventh  century  for  the  magnificence  of  its  court 
under  Count  Robert,  who,  as  we  have  already  said, 
encouraged  every  form  of  knightly  exercise.  The 
tradition  did  not  die  out,  and  in  the  fourteenth  century 
a  Tarentine  named  Selicio  amused  himself  by  writing 
a  book  on  equestrianism,  in  which  he  said : 

*'  The  Leccese  have  always  made  a  special  point  of 
keeping  at  home  for  their  own  use  superb  riding  and 


148  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

race  horses  which  are  no  small  credit  to  the  city.  In 
Lecce  horsemanship  was  always  a  famous  subject  for 
instruction,  and,  putting  the  ancients  on  one  side,  there 
are  most  excellent  examples  in  our  own  times  who 
have  always  kept  at  their  side  most  excellent  steeds, 
above  all  Cigala's,  which  are  famous  in  the  horse- 
breeding  world.  Such  is  their  quality  that,  a  few 
years  back,  one  went  to  the  royal  stables  of  Spain  and 
was  ridden  by  the  King  himself.  All  were  bred  by 
Vespasiano  Cavalerizza  of  Lecce,  the  best  horseman 
in  all  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  But  I  have  actually 
forgotten  Francesco  Alberici,  so  skilled  an  equestrian 
that  for  his  proficiency  in  that  respect  he  was  deemed 
worthy  of  being  included  among  the  stable-officers 
of  that  same  king,  Philip  the  Fourth." 


Queen   Mary 

(1384— 1446) 

Of  all  Lecce's  rulers  there  is  none  who  has  such 
a  reputation  for  popularity  as  Queen  Mary,  who  for 
sixty  years  bore  with  her  title  that  extra  addition  of 
a  nickname  which  is  a  people's  greatest  compliment — 
in  a  measure  that  is,  for  who  would  envy  Charles  the 
Bald  or  John  Lackland  their  names?  It  is  when 
a  nation  so  loves  its  head  as  to  bring  her  down  from 
her  pedestal  and  greet  her  as  "  la  nostra  Maria,"  as 
Lecce  did  to  Mary  long  ago,  that  one  realises  the 
value  of  a  simple  word.  Mary  of  Enghien  occupied 
a  most  difficult  position.  Her  father  died  when  she 
was  six  years  old,  her  brother  eleven  years  later, 
leaving  her  the  possessor  of  large  estates  in  widely 
separated  parts  of  Europe.  Athens  and  Lecce  were 
now  no  longer  a  joint  inheritance,  but  the  territories 
of  the    Bourbon   and   Enghien  families  came  to   her. 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  149 

She  was  a  desirable  match  at  a  time  when  marriages 
were  made,  not  in  heaven,  but  by  the  politicians  who 
gave  her  advice,  and  drew  large  salaries  for  doing 
so.  Only  seventeen  when  the  responsibilities  of  a 
great  landowner  were  thrust  upon  her,  she  had 
already  been  the  helpless  cause  of  a  hard-fought 
battle.  A  fierce  soldier  old  enough  to  be  her  father, 
by  no  means  fresh  to  matrimony,  and  accustomed 
to  brook  no  refusal,  had  come  to  Lecce  to  ask  for 
the  little  girl  whom  the  city  loved  ;  and  the  city  said 
"  No  "  to  the  Duke  of  Andria  and  his  six  thousand 
alien  hirelings.  Worthy  Pasquale  Guarino,  thou 
didst  well  to  keep  "  our  Mary "  from  such  savage 
hands ! 

But  a  spinster's  life  was  not  to  be  hers,  and  this 
same  Pasquale  had  much  privy  talk  with  King  Louis 
of  Anjou  as  to  the  disposal  of  so  precious  a  hand.  A 
name  was  found.  Mary  may  have  dared  to  demur — 
though  such  was  not  the  way  of  princesses  in  those 
days.  Lecce  cried  out  in  protest,  and  finally  she 
was  married  to  another  great  Italian  noble,  Ramondello 
Orsini,  in  1385,  the  year  after  she  had  become 
Countess  of  the  city.  Her  husband  was  son  of 
Nicolo  and  of  Maria  del  Balzo.  Their  united 
dominions  included  more  than  half  the  kingdom  of 
Naples.  Their  married  life  lasted  twenty  years,  and 
they  had  four  children,  of  whom  the  eldest,  Giovann- 
antonio,  eventually  become  Count  of  Lecce. 

The  year  after  her  first  husband's  death  the  unfor- 
tunate Mary  was  again  besieged  in  Lecce,  and  her 
rich  territory  occupied  by  Ladislaus,  the  King  of 
Naples.  For  reasons  unknown  to  us  she  became 
his  queen,  and  went  with  him  to  Naples  to  live  for 
the  seven  years  that  elapsed  before  she  became  for 


150  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  second  time  a  widow.  Then  the  new  sovereign 
of  Naples,  Joanna  IL,  seized  her  predecessor  and 
those  of  her  children  living  with  her,  and  cast  them 
into  prison  to  await  her  royal  pleasure.  But  patience 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  weakness  of  the  widows  ; 
there  was  one  Tristan  de  Clairmont  within  hail,  of 
whom  she  had  good  reports,  and  who  married  her 
daughter  Catherine.  So  before  a  year  was  out  Mary 
was  back  in  Lecce  again,  and  received  a  right  royal 
welcome  from  its  inhabitants. 

Her  second  period  of  residence  in  Lecce  was  to 
be  a  long  one — of  over  thirty  years — and  was  not 
without  disturbance.  Luigi  Sanseverino,  the  neigh- 
bouring Count  of  Nardo,  attacked  her  in  1417  without 
success.  In  1419  she  enlarged  her  estates  by  pur- 
chasing the  Principality  of  Taranto"  from  James  of 
Bourbon,  husband  of  the  Queen  of  Naples,  for  ;^6,ooo 
odd  (20,000  ducats).  As  she  had  held  this  property 
when  married  to  Orsini  it  is  to  be  assumed  that  she  had 
been  deprived  of  it  at  the  time  of  her  imprisonment. 
Joanna  only  fifteen  years  later  dispatched  an  army 
under  Louis  III.  of  Anjou  against  Mary  and  her  son, 
to  rob  her  of  her  territories  of  Lecce,  Taranto,  and 
Venosa.  Louis  gradually  wore  down  resistance,  until 
he  held  all  the  county  of  Lecce  between  Gallipoli, 
Castro,  Rocca,  Oria,  and  Taranto,  where  Mary  herself 
was  living  at  the  time.  He  marched  against  Lecce, 
and  pitched  his  camp  near  the  monastery  of  SS. 
Nicolo  and  Cataldo,  just  as  Del  Balzo  had  done  in 
the  affair  of  1380.  But  again  the  city  was  too  strong 
for  a  besieger,  and  after  eleven  days'  fruitless  siege 
he  moved  off  elsewhere.  Giovannantonio  recaptured 
firstly  Brindisi,  and  then  gradually  regained  possession 
of  the  whole  state.      His  mother  returned  to  Lecce, 


I 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  151 

and  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life  there  in  peace, 
dying  in  her  eightieth  year  on  May  nth,  1446,  and 
being  buried  in  the  old  church  of  Santa  Croce  under 
a  great  marble  tomb.  Over  her  grave  were  statues 
representing  the  many  virtues  by  which  she  had 
endeared  herself  to  her  people,  statues  of  Prudence, 
Justice,  Temperance,  Courage,  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity. 

Such  is  a  bare  outline  of  Mary's  long  career,  so 
closely  interwoven  with  the  fortunes  of  her  city.  But 
to  this  slender  record  can  be  added  much  concerning 
the  life  of  the  day  in  Lecce,  much  that  makes  Mary 
herself  a  creature  of  flesh  and  blood  rather  than  a 
name  in  a  genealogical  table.  First  of  all  it  is  neces- 
sary to  consider  the  inhabitants  themselves — a  very 
interesting  study  in  the  fifteenth  century.  For  just 
as  it  was  in  most  European  countries  a  time  of 
intellectual  revival,  of  slow-moving  forces  westwards, 
so  even  in  distant  Lecce  the  spirit  of  militarism 
was  gradually  giving  way  to  that  of  commerce  and 
the  arts.  True,  fighting  continued  for  centuries  after 
this,  even  till  Garibaldi's  days,  when  United  Italy, 
by  the  fact  of  its  existence,  closed  this  crimson  record  ; 
and  the  period  of  Lecce's  greatest  prosperity  had  not 
come.  It  may  possibly  be  said  that  Lecce's  prosperity 
is  still  rapidly  rising,  and  that  its  future  is  a  very 
rosy  one. 

Nevertheless,  the  fifteenth  century  is  the  time  at 
which  we  begin  to  notice  a  new  element  in  Lecce 
streets  and  hear  strange  tongues  in  the  market-place. 
Lecce  has  become  a  merchants'  rendezvous,  and  we 
will  pick  out  a  few  of  the  commonest  types.  Florence, 
a  city  which  must  have  borne  Lecce  a  grudge  ever 
since  the  Duke  of  Athens'  days,  had  sent  many  of  her 


152  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

sons  there  a  century  before  this,  some  on  business, 
some  who  had  ties  of  blood  with  the  place.  For 
instance,  among  those  building  houses  in  Lecce  were 
the  Pigli,  who  had  a  tomb  in  San  Giovanni  d'Aymo; 
the  Carnesecchi,  who  also  built  a  tomb  there  and 
made  it  common  to  all  Florentines  dying  in  the  city ; 
the  Peruzzi,  Giugni,  Ammirati,  and  Risaliti.  The 
Florentine  nation  had  an  altar  in  the  church  of 
S.  Maria  delle  Grazie,  with  a  picture  by  Domenico 
Passignano  (1557-1628)  representing  their  patron 
saint  John  the  Baptist.  They  had  an  old  Parrocchia 
(San  Giovanni  Vetere)  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Piazza  San  Giovanni  dei  Fiorentini.  This  old  church 
was  demolished  early  in  the  present  century,  and 
thus  is  broken  a  pleasant  link  with  a  bygone  day, 
when  the  wealthier  children  of  the  city  of  Flora  built 
a  tomb  where  all  who  were  stricken  in  an  alien  land 
might  find  a  last  resting-place  with  kindred  of  their 
own   blood. 

Venice  too  had  her  colonists,  and  they  had  their 
church  close  to  the  market-place,  where  they  plied 
their  busy  trade.  A  visitor  to  Lecce  to-day  is  struck 
by  the  Lion  of  St.  Mark  so  boldly  carved  over  a 
stone  doorway,  the  entrance  to  a  chapel  dedicated 
to  the  patron  saint  of  the  Venetians.  These  merchants 
were  not  so  early  in  the  city  as  their  rivals  from 
Florence,  and  seemed  to  have  been  most  in  evidence 
during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries.  Their 
journey  down  the  Adriatic  was  easier  than  many 
which  their  daring  flotillas  risked,  and  the  market  for 
their  wares  a  good  one.  By  1543  they  had  become 
so  important  a  colony  that  an  old  chapel  was  offered 
to  them.  They  rebuilt  it,  dedicated  it  to  St,  Mark, 
and  lavishly  endowed  it.     In  token  of  gratitude,  the 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  153 

Venetian  consul  also  presented  to  the  Bishop  of 
Lecce  a  wax  candle  of  five  pounds  weight.  In  1600 
was  established  the  "  Congregazione  di  San  Marco 
de'  Veneziani "  here,  and  a  chaplaincy  still  exists. 
The  chaplain  must  be  a  Venetian,  and  the  gift  lies 
with  the  Venetian  consul,  after  the  downfall  of  the 
Republic  represented  by  the  Austrian  vice-consul  at 
Otranto.  The  investiture  (made  by  the  Pope)  is  by 
"  positionem  birecti."  When  Venice  came  to  form 
part  of  the  kingdom  of  Italy  in  modern  times  this 
authority  came  to  be  assumed  by  the  Sindaco  of 
that  city. 

Besides  the  **  Queen  of  the  Adriatic "  there  was 
another  port  celebrated  in  those  days,  and  mentioned, 
by  the  way,  in  Shakespeare's  '*  Merchant  of  Venice  " — 
Ragusa  to  wit.  Her  traders  seem  to  have  been  greedy 
beyond  belief,  and  are  recorded  to  have  fleeced  the 
Leccese  unmercifully  on  their  frequent  visits. 

Genoa  too,  a  great  maritime  power  then  and  since, 
contributed  her  quota.  Many  famous  families  had 
scions  in  Lecce — the  Fieschi,  Fornari,  Trezaroti, 
Negri,  Santi,  Interiani,  Spinola,  Lambadoria,  Leoni, 
S.  Pier  di  Negro,  Adorni.  So  numerous  were  their 
houses — mostly  those  of  busy  merchants — that  they 
were  allowed  a  special  court  of  their  own  for  the 
transaction  of  their  lawsuits. 

Then  there  was  a  little  colony  of  settlers  from 
Mesagne,  near  Brindisi,  who  seem  to  have  kept  apart 
in  the  little  court  still  preserving  their  name.  The 
Knights  Templars,  whose  headquarters  for  the  Terra 
d' Otranto  were  at  their  Ospizio  in  Brindisi,  had  a 
branch  in  Lecce  with  a  chapel. 

The  Greeks  and  Albanians  who  settled  here  later 
had  certainly  not  become  a  noticeable  feature  in  city 


154  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

life  at  the  time,  but  there  must  have  been  a  tinge 
of  the  East  in  the  market-place  perennially.  Un- 
doubtedly the  most  self-contained  of  all  the  little 
groups  of  foreigners  in  Mary's  time  was  to  be  found 
in  the  Lecce  ghetto.  There  were  colonies  of  Jews 
in  Oria,  Brindisi,  Nardo,  Alessano,  and  Gallipoli,  who, 
like  their  countrymen  all  over  the  Kingdom  of  Naples, 
and  indeed  all  over  Europe,  suffered  diverse  treat- 
ment at  the  whim  of  the  populace.  They  were 
encouraged,  tolerated,  honoured,  hunted  down,  but 
invariably  fleeced.  Lecce,  an  eminently  commercial 
city,  had  enriched  itself  by  trading  with  them.  The 
barons  and  seigneurs  did  not  disdain  to  mingle  in 
this  traffic  nor  to  take  the  lion's  share  when  it  came 
to  dividing  the  spoils.  The  people  hated  them,  making 
nothing  out  of  them  as  the  nobles  did,  and  lost  no 
opportunity  of  having  the  knife  into  them  on  every 
occasion  of  tumult,  rebellion,  or  change  of  govern- 
ment which  presented  itself.  This  happened,  for 
instance,  in  1494,  twice  in  1495,  in  1505,  and  so  on. 
In  1 5 10,  during  a  popular  riot  against  them,  their 
synagogue  was  attacked,  seized,  and  consecrated  by  the 
Bishop  of  those  days,  Marcantonio  Tolomei,  to  the 
Catholic  faith.  Both  ghetto  and  synagogue  stood  near 
the  Palazzo  Persone,  but  earlier  still  were  on  the  site 
now  occupied  by  the  large  church  of  St.  Irene. 

In  Queen  Mary's  reign  it  was  enacted  that  the  Jews 
should  be  differentiated  from  Christians  by  wearing 
red,  and  the  quaint  language  of  her  decree  is  worth 
reproducing  : 

"  Item  perche  la  Chiesa  Cattolica  et  sancta  vole  et 
comanda,  et  tucti  altri  liegi  civili  voleno  che  li  iudei 
masculi  et  femine  degiano  essere  conosciuti  da  christi- 
ani   per   alguni  segni   et   vestimenti.      Et   per   alguni 


LECCE'S    LATER   COUNTS  155 

erruri  chi  solenu  succedere :  dicta  Maiesta  vole  et 
comanda  :  che  omne  iudeo  masculo  o  femina  de  anni 
sei  in  suso  forastieri  oy  citatino  de  Leze  li  masculi 
debiano  portare  un  segno  russo  a  mode  de  rota 
rotundo  sul  pecto  sopra  la  menna  per  una  pianta 
per  la  forma  et  grandeza  e  scripta  alia  corte.  Et  le 
femine  un  segno  russo  rotondo  sopra  la  pecto  et  de 
le  menne  per  una  pianta  portandolo  avancti  sopra 
tucti  I'altri  panni  per  poterese  vendere  de  omne  uno, 
et  essere  indicato  ca  e  iudeo  et  iudea  tanto  se  andasse 
vestito  con  mantello  quanto  con  ioppa,  et  se  andasse 
a  iupparello  et  a  gonnella  de  femina.  Et  chinde  fara 
lo  contrario  cadera  alia  pena  de  unza  una  per  omne 
volta.  Et  chi  lo  accusara  ne  havera  tari  uno,  et  se 
non  havesse  da  pagare  la  pena  :  essere  frustato  per 
Leze." 

So  ran  good  Queen  Mary's  law,  setting  apart  the 
chosen  people  that  they  might  be  exposed  to  affront 
and  insult,  fining  them  if  they  did  not  wear  the 
badge  of  the  oppressed,  and  lastly  recording  that  if 
they  had  not  the  wherewithal  to  pay  the  fine — "  they 
should  be  flogged  by  Lecce."  Such  was  the  state  of 
affairs  under  a  just  and  humane  ruler.  What  must 
it  have  been  where  none  cared  whether  the  Hebrew 
race  were  utterly  destroyed  or  not  ?  In  other  respects 
Mary  made  some  excellent  laws,  which  Mrs.  Ross 
quotes  in  her  book.  Strangers  who  pitched  their 
tents  in  Lecce  were  exempt  from  taxes  for  three 
years,  the  aged  and  infirm  paid  none  at  all.  Assassins, 
after  being  whipped,  were  to  be  hanged.  Cloth  mer- 
chants were  forbidden  to : 

"  Transmutare  li  numi  alii  dicti  panni  .  .  .  se  sono 

Ragusini  chiamarli  Ragusini  et  non  panni  Veneciani." 

("Change  the  names  of  their  cloths if  they 


156  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

are  Ragusian,  call  them  Ragusian  and  not  Venetian 
cloths.") 

Horses  were  not  to  be  galloped  in  the  streets  of 
the  town  to  the  risk  of  other  people,  seeing  that  there 
was  plenty  of  room  outside  the  walls. 

Considerable  alterations  had  already  been  made 
before  this  in  the  method  of  administering  justice  in 
Lecce,  by  Balzo-Orsini,  Mary's  first  husband.  He 
was  so  powerful  that  he  did  not  hold  a  royal  vassal's 
position  under  the  King  of  Naples,  nor  did  he  tolerate 
the  administration  of  justice  in  his  territory  under 
the  royal  name.  So,  abolishing  the  local  Giustizierato 
in  his  city,  he  established  a  Magistratura  there  in 
1402  with  full  jurisdiction  over  all  his  States.  He 
named  it  the  "  Concistorium  Principis,"  and  it  was 
composed  of  four  judicial  doctors  of  law,  an  advocate, 
a  procurator  fiscal,  a  camerario,  or  maestro  di  camera, 
a  clerk,  and  a  maestro  di  atti.  The  four  justices  had 
a  stipend  of  300  ducats  (about  ;^5i)  per  annum  each. 
Lecce  produced  several  noted  lawyers  about  this  time, 
among  whom  was  Francesco  Ammirato,  who  may 
possibly  have  married  Maria  and  Ramondello. 

The  Concistorium  lasted  on  till  in  1463  Ferdinand 
of  Aragon  converted  it  into  the  Sacro  Consiglio 
Provinciale.  De  Simone  prints  the  very  flowery 
document  by  which  the  alteration  was  made,  but  it 
is  of  no  great  interest. 

GlOVANNANTONIO    DeL    BaLZO 

(1446— 1463) 

For  the  first  few  years  of  Mary's  sway  a  Leccese 
occupied  the  pontifical  chair.     Boniface  IX.  came   of 


1 


12.       THE    CAMl'ANILE,    SOLETO 
(Late  fourteenth  century) 


I 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  157 

the  noble  family  of  Tomacelli,  and  was  Pope  from 
1389  (November  22nd)  to  1404.  This  was  during  the 
period  of  the  dual  pontificate,  in  many  ways  a  dis- 
graceful episode  in  church  history,  and  his  tenure  of 
office  was  neither  heroic  nor  philanthropic. 

"  In  order  to  defend  himself  against  the  oppressive 
exactions  by  which  Clement  VII.  was  exhausting  the 
countries  subject  to  his  obedience  he  was  compelled 
to  resort  to  new  financial  expedients.  Under  him 
Rome  lost  her  last  relics  of  municipal  independence. 
The  opposition  of  the  University  of  Paris  was  unable 
to  prevent  a  fresh  election  at  the  death  of  Clement  VII. 
in  1394,  and  the  astute  Pedro  de  Luna  took  the  name 
of  Benedict  XIII.  The  numerous  endeavours  for  unity 
made  during  this  period  form  one  of  the  saddest 
chapters  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  Neither  Pope 
had  sufficient  magnanimity  to  put  an  end  to  the 
terrible  state  of  affairs,  and  all  efforts  to  arrange 
matters  were,  without  exception,  frustrated,  till  it 
seemed  as  if  Christendom  would  have  to  get  accustomed 
to  two  Popes  and  two  Courts." ' 

In  certain  matters  of  church  reform  Tomacelli  seems 
to  have  taken  a  more  creditable  part,  and  also  attained 
some  note  as  a  builder,  rebuilding  the  Castle  of  S. 
Angelo  at  Rome  in  the  form  of  a  tower,  which  was 
ruined  by  the  explosion  of  a  powder-magazine  in 
1497.  It  is  significant  that  the  two  finest  Gothic 
buildings  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  were  erected  during 
his  term  as  Pope — S.  Caterina  at  Galatina  and  the 
Campanile  at  Soleto.  It  was  not  till  three  hundred 
years  later  that  Lecce  had  any  further  connection  with 
Pope-making  (see  p.  188). 

'  Dr.  Ludwig  Pastor's  "  History  of  the  Popes  from  the  Close  of  the 
M  iddle  Ages,"  vol.  i.  pp.  164-5,  etc. 


158  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Mary's  successor  and  son,  Giovannantonio — or,  as  we 
should  say,  John  Anthony — has  left  no  very  abiding 
mark  on  history.  He  occasionally  figures  in  local 
wars  during  his  mother's  reign,  but  the  sixteen  years 
of  his  rule  are  devoid  of  recorded  event.  He  died 
at  Altamura  on  November  13th,  1463.  With  his  death 
the  history  of  the  Norman  county  of  Lecce  closes, 
after  having  been  in  existence  for  four  stormy 
centuries,  covering  the  period  which  is  generally 
known  as  the   Middle  Ages. 

But  before  passing  into  a  new  era  there  are  sundry 
oddments  from  the  lumber-rooms  of  history  that  help 
one  to  picture  life  in  Lecce  at  the  end  of  mediaeval 
times,  and  to  some  extent  complete  the  sketch  given 
in  the  past  few  pages. 

The  vision  we  have  already  had  of  the  strife  of 
tongues  in  the  piazza  recalls  the  Lecce  fair,  a  very 
ancient  institution  dating  from  time  immemorial.  The 
institution  was  commonly  called  '*  Panieri,"  and  in 
the  seventeenth  century  was  still  frequented  by 
merchants  of  every  land  under  the  sun.  John 
Anthony  lengthened  its  duration  to  three  days  in 
1442,  and  twenty-six  years  later  it  became  a  function 
lasting  no  less  than  eight  days,  from  which  it  may 
surely  be  inferred  that  Lecce  found  much  profit  or 
perhaps  much  gaiety  therein.  Its  name  was  changed 
in  the  eighteenth  century  to  "  la  Spasa  di  Mon- 
signore." 

Another  feature  of  the  city's  life  is  to  be  found 
in  the  bell-tower,  which  seems  to  have  been  a 
very  real  signal  five  hundred  years  ago.  Every 
isolated  monastery  had  its  alarm-bell  at  that  time, 
and  many  towns  also.  An  old  writer.  Durante, 
says : 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  159 

"  There  are  six  kinds  of  church  bells  :  the  tintinna- 
bulum  in  refectory,  the  cimbalum  in  cloister,  nola  in 
choir,  nonula  in  clock,  campana  in  belfry,  signum  in 
tower." 


Romano  in  his  "  History  of  Molfetta  "  relates  how  in 
his  city  at  two  hours  of  the  night  a  watchman  mounted 
the  tower,  and  sounded  a  bell  every  fifteen  minutes 
which  was  answered  by  the  "  excubitores  "  from  the 
towers  on  the  Adriatic  shore  by  the  sound  of  bagpipes. 
There  is  something  intensely  romantic  in  this  idea, 
of  waking  up  in  the  small  hours  of  some  crisp  winter 
morning  to  hear  the  clear  note  of  the  bell  hard  by, 
and  then  of  listening  with  straining  ear  for  the  far- 
distant,  eerie  wail  from  the  instrument  which  is  of 
all  others  most  haunting  and  weird.  Here  one  comes 
again  on  that  strange  spirit  of  the  seaboard  provinces, 
the  very  antithesis  of  that  which  sent  our  sturdy 
English  fellow  tramping  round  his  beat  when  Charles 
was  king,  with  his  cry  of  "  All's  well "  that  only 
roast  beef  and  ale  could  produce.  A  ringing  of  bells 
and  a  skirling  of  bagpipes — here  is  old  Southern  Italy 
in  all  its  poetry  and  charm. 

Lecce  annals  tell  of  no  bagpipes,  but  when  Infantine 
wrote  "  Lecce  Sacra  "  in  the  early  seventeenth  century 
a  man  was  paid  by  the  city  as  sentinel.  Each  evening 
when  Ave  Maria  had  died  away  in  the  Cathedral 
choir,  and  the  place  sank  into  silence  and  twilight, 
a  little  bell  warned  this  watchman  that  it  was  time 
for  him  to  climb  the  long  flight  of  steps  to  the  top 
of  the  campanile  and  take  his  lonely  perch  on  the 
"  grey  cliffs  of  lonely  stone,"  as  Ruskin  said  of  another 
tower,  **  rising  among  sailing  birds  and  silent  air." 
The  hours  passed  on  as  he  kept  his  vigil,  the  distant 


i6o  IN   THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

Adriatic  and  the  farther  distant  Taranto  shore  lay 
on  either  horizon,  but  in  the  tortuous  streets  below 
him  the  people  of  Lecce  slept  in  comfort  while  he 
watched.  Have  you,  O  reader,  climbed  up  among 
the  lacework  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at  Brussels,  higher 
and  higher  into  the  clouds  till  at  last  you  stand  in 
an  open  space  enclosed  by  the  delicate  ribs  of  the 
fleche,  so  small  that  your  shoulders  touch  on  either 
hand,  so  unprotected  that  you  cling  to  support  lest 
the  wind  should  blow  you  down  among  the  flower- 
stalls  hundreds  of  feet  below,  and  have  you  never 
felt  the  romance  of  the  thing  ?  If  your  head  is  steady, 
you  will  feel  sentimental,  methinks,  and  wish  to  write 
a  sonnet  to  something ;  if  it  is  not,  you  will  feel 
vastly  giddy.  But  this  minion  of  Lecce,  how  did  he 
feel  ?  Had  all  those  months  of  moonlight  cooled 
romance,  were  his  thoughts  always  intent  on  his 
cliff-beacons,  or  was  he  thinking  of  the  little  matters 
of  his  daily  life  ?  We  leave  him  to  his  silent  post 
and  wish  him  a  sad  good-night.^ 

Other  towers  there  were  in  the  city  below  and  in 
the  fields  surrounding  it,  towers  where  the  feudal 
barons  lived,  and  into  which  the  frightened  peasants 
flocked  like  poultry  when  the  watchman  from  Lecce 
gave  his  warning  signal.  All  those  in  the  town  have 
now  perished  save  that  from  which  the  Via  Torre 
de'  Carretti  takes  its  name— "  built  in  1471,  restored 
in  1 8 18,"  as  an  inscription  records. 

'  Montaigne,  the  famous  essayist  (i  580-1),  has  something  to  say  of 
this  system  of  warning.  "  All  along  the  coast  towers  are  built  a 
league  distant  one  from  the  other,  and  whenever  any  sentinel  espies 
a  pirate  ship  he  gives  warning  by  firing  a  gun  to  the  tower  next  to 
him.  So  rapidly  is  intelligence  sped  by  this  method  that  it  has  been 
found  that  word  may  be  passed  from  the  extreme  point  of  Italy  to 
Venice  in  an  hour." 


LECCE'S    LATER    COUNTS  i6i 

Lastly,  the  greatest  house  in  Lecce  was  the  palace 
of  the  Counts  themselves,  in  which  they  lived  till 
1435,  when  Queen  Mary  sold  it  to  the  powerful 
Guarini  family,  who  in  their  turn  disposed  of  it 
shortly  later,  divided  as  three  lots  for  sale  purposes. 

A  royal  decree  then  sanctioned  the  opening  of  a 
new  street  through  the  property,  the  Strada  Nuova, 
and  the  palace  occupied  the  site  of  three  of  the  houses 
now  standing  there.  In  one  of  them  there  still  exists 
the  chapel  of  the  Counts'  palace,  two  columns  of  the 
atrium,  and  two  capitals  of  the  doorway  on  to  the 
street. 

It  is  a  remarkable  thing  that  hardly  any  buildings 
remain  to  us  of  the  thirteenth,  fourteenth,  and  fifteenth 
centuries  in  Lecce.  Tancred's  fine  church  is  still 
standing,  all  unprotected  as  it  is  outside  the  walls;  but 
of  the  next  period  we  have  no  memorials.  Churches 
there  were  many — as,  for  instance,  Brienne's  foundation 
of  Santa  Croce — but  all  seem  to  have  been  rebuilt  or 
even  in  some  cases  removed  to  other  sites. 

With  a  possibly  authentic  story,  translated  from  an 
anonymous  fragment  in  the  municipal  archives,  I  will 
conclude  this  chapter. 

"  In  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary  of  Enghien  in  this 
our  city  of  Lecce  there  lived  a  poor  cobbler,  named 
Giovanni  d'  Aymo,  who  kept  the  Porta  di  Rusce. 
Now  there  came  into  the  city  by  that  very  gate  a 
Flemish  pilgrim  bound  for  the  Pardons  of  Saint 
Catherine  and  Saint  Mary  of  Leuca,  and  who  promised 
to  enrich  him.  He  said  that  in  a  deserted  church 
dedicated  to  St.  Orontius  outside  the  city  walls  he 
knew  of  a  great  store  of  treasure  and  priceless  things, 
of  an  earthen  vessel  full  of  jewels,  and  of  silver  and 
gold  in  ingots  and  in  coin.     Wherefore  at  night-time 

II 


i62  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

they  went  to  the  place  described,  and  digging  down 
found  a  great  stone.  This  they  Hfted,  and  five  palms' 
length  beneath  was  the  grave  with  the  vessel  and 
the  treasures,  which  for  three  days  and  nights  they 
privily  carried  into  the  city.  On  the  last  night  while 
the  pilgrim  still  stood  in  the  grave  Giovanni  dragged 
the  stone  flag  over  him  and  dragged  it  upon  him  so 
that  he  died.  He  then  set  out  forthwith  to  Venice, 
returning  many  times  so  that  he  might  thus  get  rid 
of  his  ill-gotten  riches.  Now  this  having  been  brought 
to  Mary's  notice,  Giovanni  was  imprisoned,  and  on 
the  scaffold  confessed  his  crime.  Whereupon  he  was 
made  to  give  as  a  loan  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand 
ducats  to  the  Queen,  keeping  for  himself  what  re- 
mained over.  Having  no  sons,  he  founded  the 
Hospital,  Church,  and  Convent  of  the  Dominican 
friars — called  for  that  reason  '  Saint  Giovanni 
d'  Aymo,'  and  to  this  foundation  he  gave  many 
possessions,  houses,  and  other  things,  as  may  be  seen 
from  his  will." 

It  must  be  remembered  in  justification  of  this  story 
that  Lecce  had  been  pillaged  so  frequently,  and  that 
property  had  been  so  insecure  there  for  centuries, 
that  treasure  may  well  have  been  hidden  thus,  and 
that  a  pilgrim  may  well  have  discovered  the  secret. 
Galateus,  for  instance,  writes  of  a  very  similar  case 
at  almost  the  same  time : 

"  One  Marsilius,  a  poor  countryman  dwelling  in 
Lecce,  found  a  great  store  of  money  in  the  ruins  of 
Balesium  :  and  this  is  no  fable,  for  it  became  known 
to  the  Countess  Mary  of  Lecce,  who  straightway  laid 
her  hand  on  the  treasure." 

In  these  stories  we  see  the  popular  Queen  at  her 
worst,  and  she  must   have  been  a  mere   girl   in  the 


LECCE'S   LATER   COUNTS  163 

first  case.  Saint  John  of  the  Flagstone  is  a  pictur- 
esque scoundrel  indeed.  There  would  be  many 
applicants  for  saintship  from  Park  Lane  to-day  if 
the  honour  were  so  easily  to  be  bought,  for  this 
holy  man  expiated  his  sin  on  the  scaffold  without 
damage  to  his  person  for  only  half  the  price  of  a 
mere  modern  baronetcy,  and  by  a  little  extra  ex- 
penditure ensured  everlasting  prayers  for  his  soul. 

When  Mary  had  absolved  him  from  earthly  punish- 
ment for  his  evil  deeds  he  erected  in  the  courtyard 
of  his  house  a  chapel  which  he  dedicated  to  his  patron 
St.  John  the  Baptist.  This  done,  he  asked  Boni- 
face IX.  for  a  faculty  to  found  a  monastery  of  the 
Dominicans,  and  on  November  9th,  1389,  the  Pope 
granted  him  remission  of  his  sins,  and  also  the  de- 
sired Bull,  stipulating  only  that  he  should  proceed 
in  agreement  with  Leonardo,  the  Bishop  of  Lecce. 
No  time  was  lost ;  the  pious  founder  converted  his 
own  large  house  into  a  monastery,  and  soon  the 
Dominicans  arrived.  Having  provided  for  their  bodily 
needs,  an  earnest  care  for  their  souls  took  hold  of 
him  :  he  hastened  to  add  a  larger  church  to  his  little 
chapel,  and  built  it  "with  cross  vaults  in  the  French 
manner."  His  next  step  heavenward  was  to  endow 
a  hospital  for  the  infirm  poor  and  aged,  and  to  place 
it  under  the  monks'  direction.  Then  in  1394  he 
died. 

Such  is  the  story,  and  such  was  the  lite  of  S.  Gio- 
vanni d'Aymo.  His  sin  was  wrought  in  a  moment 
when  avarice  had  blazed  into  passion,  and  it  was 
not  till  he  felt  rope  round  his  neck  that  he  confessed 
the  deed.  His  royal  and  virtuous  mistress  seems  to 
have  displayed  a  remarkable  greed  of  gold,  and  this 
perhaps  makes  Giovanni's   subsequent    bequests   the 


164  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

more  generous.  In  modern  times  we  should  scout 
the  idea  of  admitting  such  a  one  to  canonisation ; 
but  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  good  works 
wrought  by  the  Dominican  brothers,  and  the  Sisters 
of  Mercy  who  used  their  house  after  they  had  gone, 
almost  to  our  own  day,  must  have  made  a  soft  corner 
in  Lecce  hearts  for  him  who  at  dead  of  night  killed 
the  poor  pilgrim  from  Flanders.  De  Simone  tells 
of  much  trouble  in  later  administration  of  this  hospital, 
of  Courts  of  Governors,  and  constant  disputes ;  but 
all  the  charm  of  the  story  lies  in  its  extravagant  ideas 
of  religion  and  clerical  absolution — ideas  so  prevalent 
in  the  Middle  Ages,  which  we  now  leave  for  a  more 
enlightened  day. 


CHAPTER   VI 

LECCE   UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS 
(1463— 1799) 

To  understand  the  new  dynasty  which  by  its  advent 
had  drawn  so  sharp  a  dividing  Hne  between  Lecce 
of  the  Middle  Ages  and  Lecce  of  the  Renaissance, 
one  must  consider  the  history  of  Italy  and  Aragon 
at  the  time.  Queen  Joanna  of  Naples  had  invited 
to  her  scandalous  court  in  1420  Alphonso  of  Aragon 
and  adopted  him.  When  she  died,  fifteen  years 
afterwards,  he  claimed  her  crown  partly  on  the 
strength  of  his  adoption,  partly  on  the  ground  of 
the  ancient  rights  of  Manfred,  to  whom  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  the  female  line.  The  rival  claimant  was 
Rene  of  Anjou,  brother  of  another  adopted  son  of 
the  Queen's  now  dead.  There  was  much  fighting  in 
Italy  till  1442,  when  Alphonso  defeated  the  hitherto 
victorious  Rene,  and  became  King  of  Naples.  His 
reign  was  marked  by  such  favours  to  arts  and  letters, 
and  his  treatment  of  his  enemies  was  so  liberal,  that 
he  gained  the  surname  of  the  "  Magnanimous."  He 
lived  in  Naples  till  his  death,  in  1458,  and  handed 
over  his  kingdom  to  Ferdinand,  a  natural  son. 
All  his  other  dominions — Aragon,  Valencia,  Cata- 

165 


i66  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Ionia,  Sardinia,  Sicily,  and  the  Balearic  islands — had 
been  left  to  his  brother  John,  King  of  Navarre.  He 
legitimatised  Ferdinand,  and  caused  him  to  be  ac- 
knowledged lord  paramount  of  the  kingdom  by  the 
Pope. 

But,  according  to  Sismondi  and  other  historians, 
Ferdinand  proved  in  no  way  worthy  of  his  high 
position.  So  cruel  was  he,  so  miserly  and  perfidious, 
that  his  reign  became  one  long  series  of  quarrels 
with  rebellious  vassals.  In  1445  he  had  married 
Isabella,  granddaughter  of  Queen  Mary  of  Enghien. 
When  the  last  Count  of  Lecce  died,  in  1463,  the 
Aragonese  party  in  that  city  met  together  to  decide 
whether  to  hand  it  over  to  the  King  of  Naples,  who 
had  some  claim  by  marriage  to  the  vacant  title. 
They  did  not  delay  long,  and  induced  the  city  to 
give  itself  to  Ferdinand,  entrusting  him  with  a 
treasure  of  600,000  scudi  (about  ;i^  120,000),  besides  a 
very  valuable  store  of  gold  and  silver  plate.  In  less 
than  a  month  after  John  Anthony's  death  at  Alta- 
mura  he  arrived  at  Lecce,  and  took  up  his  quarters 
in  the  Castle.  A  fortnight  afterwards  he  spent 
December  20th  and  21st  in  receiving  in  audience  the 
barons  of  the  county,  who  swore  fealty  to  him  as 
their  liege. 

He  seems  to  have  enjoyed  a  much  greater  measure 
of  popularity  in  this  city  than  in  the  rest  of  his  domain, 
and  to  have  heaped  favours  on  its  citizens.  His  wife 
too  in  her  earlier  life  had  been  beloved  of  Lecce  when 
she  lived  there.  It  is  related  of  her  that  in  1460  she 
came  to  the  city  disguised  as  a  Franciscan  friar  to  beg 
John  Anthony's  aid  on  behalf  of  her  husband  ;  and  the 
story  is  said  by  Simone  to  be  in  Passaro's  and  Car- 
dami's  journals  for  that  year,  but  I  have  been  unable 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  167 

to  substantiate  it.  Two  of  their  sons  became  kings 
of  Naples  afterwards — Alfonso  II.  and  Frederick 
II.;  John  rose  to  fame  as  an  Archbishop,  and 
Francis  became  Duke  of  Montesantangelo ;  while  of 
their  daughters  Beatrice  married  in  succession  two 
kings  of  Hungary — Matthew  and  Ladislaus  II. — 
and  Eleanor  two  great  Italian  nobles — Sforza,  the 
Duke  of  Bari,  and  Ercole  d'  Este,  Duke  of  Ferrara. 

Lecce  was  sorely  afflicted  in  two  ways  during 
Ferdinand's  reign.  Plague  devastated  the  city  in  1466, 
again  in  148 1  and  1520.  On  the  first  occasion  we  are 
told  a  miracle  happened.  The  afflicted  people  were 
liberated  by  the  appearance  of  an  angel  holding  a 
burning  torch  over  a  chapel  lying  outside  the  city 
walls,  on  June  13th.  This  chapel  was  speedily 
made  a  church  and  dedicated  to  Santa  Maria  della 
Luce.  If  this  legend  is  true,  the  one  related  already 
(pp.  65-74)  about  the  martyr  Herina  must  be  false,  but 
the  matter  is  of  no  great  importance.  The  Leccese 
erected  a  second  chapel  in  memory  of  this  attack  of 
the  plague.     A  writer  in  the  following  year  remarks  : 

"  Ne  igitur  tam  clara  Civitas  sola  ac  sine  viris  .  .  . 
remaneat." 

Ferdinand  encouraged  people  to  come  and  repopu- 
late  the  city,  and  really  seems  to  have  been  less  black 
in  Lecce  than  he  was  painted  in  Naples.  The  other 
calamity  with  which  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  was  troubled 
was  a  Turkish  invasion  in  1480.  Otranto  suffered 
first,  and  suffered  heavily.  Up  to  that  year  it  had 
been  a  thriving  and  populous  port,  but  now  its  power 
was  to  be  broken  by  the  Crescent.  Twelve  of  the 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants  are  said  to  have  been 
slain,  others  carried  away  to  pine  in  distant  harems.^ 
'  For  further  details  see  pp.  322-5. 


i68  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

To   this   day  the  mothers   sing  to  their  disobedient 
children  : 

Li  Turchi  se  la  puozzono  pigliane, 
La  puozzone  portane  a  la  Turchia, 
La  puozzona  fa  Turca  da  Cristiana. 

("  Let  the  Turks  carry  her  away ;  let  them  carry 
her  to  Turkey  ;  let  them  change  her  from  a  Christian 
to  a  Turk.")  ^ 

To  this  day  we  may  see  all  over  Otranto  the 
enormous  stone  cannon-balls,  weighing  as  much  even 
as  two  and  a  half  hundredweight,  fired  from  the 
Moslem  ordnance  ;  to  this  day  we  are  shown  the  spot 
where  eight  hundred  of  Otranto's  braves  were  de- 
capitated at  one  time. 

Lecce  withstood  their  assaults,  and  finally  Giulio 
Antonio  Acquaviva  at  the  head  of  the  Neapolitan 
troops  drove  them  out  of  the  district.  But  he  too 
fell,  and  lost  his  head  during  the  battle,  so  that  the 
first  news  to  arrive  at  his  native  town,  Sternatia,  was 
the  appearance  of  his  terrified  charger  still  ridden  by 
the  headless  trunk  which  that  very  morning  had  left 
the  place  as  a  living  man. 

Alfonso  of  Aragon  on  this  occasion  took  the  great 
bells  from  the  campanile  of  the  Duomo  at  Lecce  to 
make  cannon-balls,  but  Ferdinand  restored  the  metal. 

The  French  invasion  of  Naples  in  1494  is  a  land- 
mark. A  recent  writer  has  said  that  here  "  mediaeval 
history  ends  and  modern  history  begins."  In  mediaeval 
times  Europe  was  supposed  to  be  presided  over  by 
the  Pope  and  the  Emperor,  but  towards  the  end  of 
the  fifteenth  century  new  ideas  of  nationality  came 
into  being.     Charles  VIII.  of  France  at  the  time  of 

'  Ross's  "  Land  of  Manfred,"  p.  257. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  169 

his  marriage  was  already  the  most  powerful  king  in 
Europe.  His  ambition  was  insatiable,  and  one  of  its 
chief  objects  was  the  Neapolitan  crown.  Sixty  years 
before,  Queen  Joanna's  inheritance  had  been  disputed 
by  her  rival  favourites  of  Anjou  and  Aragon.  Anjou 
was  now  absorbed  in  Charles's  kingdom  and  he  felt 
that  with  Anjou  he  should  also  have  absorbed  Naples. 
Only  twenty-four  years  of  age,  weak  of  mind  and 
feeble  of  body,  he  nevertheless  possessed  every  in- 
strument of  power.  A  rich  and  well-ordered  kingdom, 
a  brilliant  and  numerous  army,  lay  to  his  hand. 
Visions  of  Charlemagne  and  his  paladins  crossed  his 
brain,  with  dimmer  thoughts  of  driving  the  Turks 
from  Europe  and  freeing  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

It  was  to  this  young  monarch  that  there  came  in 
1492  some  Neapolitan  exiles  with  suggestions  that  the 
Aragon  house  should  be  dethroned.  Sforza  of  Milan 
offered  his  support,  Charles  set  his  house  in  order, 
and  in  August  1494  entered  Italy  with  a  magnificent 
army  of  over  thirty  thousand  men  and  the  finest 
artillery  that  Europe  had  seen. 

Old  King  Ferdinand  had  just  died  ;  of  his  sons 
Alphonso  II.  succeeded  him,  Frederick  took  command 
of  the  fleet,  while  the  young  Ferdinand  his  grandson 
headed  his  army.  In  a  few  months  Charles  was  in 
Naples,  having  encountered  practically  no  opposition. 
Not  a  single  battle  was  fought  in  opposition  to  the 
cruel  and  daring  tactics  of  the  French  soldiery. 
Charles  then  settled  down  for  a  period  of  feasting  and 
jousting  in  Naples,  sending  his  subordinates  to  ravage 
and  subdue  the  surrounding  provinces. 

In  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  there  was  an  unseemly  rush 
of  cities  and  villages  to  renounce  allegiance  to  Aragon 
and    make   terms    with   France,   Lecce   and   Taranto 


170  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

being  in  the  majority.  Gallipoli,  Brindisi,  and  Otranto, 
however,  remained  faithful  to  the  Aragon  throne. 
Brindisi  and  Taranto  were  of  course  most  important 
strategic  points  when  all  Europe  was  waiting  for  a 
general  conflagration.  Otranto  first  gave  itself  up, 
then  suddenly  performed  a  rapid  change  of  front  and 
returned  to  its  old  love.  In  all  the  kingdom  there 
were  only  two  cities  left  faithful  to  Aragon  (except 
those  in  the  Terra  d' Otranto) — Reggio  and  Ischia. 
Brindisi  after  some  time  began  to  waver.  It  was 
badly  defended  and  without  a  trained  commander ; 
Aragon's  star  was  by  no  means  in  the  ascendant. 

At  last  a  deputation  was  sent  to  Charles  to  treat 
amicably  for  surrender.  The  King  was  intoxicated 
with  success — perhaps  not  only  with  success — and 
scoffed  at  the  idea  of  parleying  with  the  syndics  of 
one  single  distant  town.  He  sent  them  home  dis- 
satisfied and  hopeless,  but  on  arrival  unexpected  news 
greeted  them.  Ferdinand  had  sent  Brindisi  a  letter  of 
encouragement  and  exhortation.  He  implored  the 
city  to  resist  the  foreigner  and  remain  faithful  to 
his  house.  After  much  debating  and  cautious  talk 
Brindisi  again  espoused  his  cause.  Over  at  Gallipoli 
the  citizens  knew  there  lay  another  little  oasis  of 
Aragon  sympathisers,  and  there  they  sent  messages 
to  arrange  for  joint  operations.  Meanwhile  a  league 
was  concluded  in  support  of  their  party  in  Europe, 
for  Charles's  power  in  Italy  was  already  being  looked 
on  with  anxious  eyes  from  many  quarters.  A  body 
of  Venetian  soldiers  under  Antonio  Grimani  landed 
on  the  Adriatic  coast,  and  at  once  marched  against 
the  French,  who  were  despoiled  of  Manopoli  by  force 
of  arms  and  of  Polignano  by  agreement. 

Camillo   Pandrone,  Alphonso's   viceroy,    who    had 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  171 

been  living  at  Lecce,  had  had  to  vacate  his  office  and 
take  refuge  in  Brindisi  when  war  broke  out,  and 
had  been  replaced  by  two  Frenchmen — the  Duke  of 
Asparra  and  Gilbert  of  Brunswick.  The  Brindisi 
people  were  molested  not  only  by  French  besiegers, 
but  by  bodies  of  hostile  Italians  from  Lecce,  Taranto, 
and  Mesagne,  while  at  Gallipoli  too  the  Lecce  con- 
tingent was  nearly  as  troublesome  as  that  of  the 
foreigners.  Brindisi  was  particularly  strongly  fortified, 
and  its  possession  therefore  of  the  greatest  importance. 
Frederick  at  last  decided  himself  to  make  his  way 
there,  and  ordered  his  wife  Isabella,  then  living  at 
Ban,  to  rejoin  him  there.  In  April  (1495)  she  wrote 
to  the  city  claiming  its  protection,  which  was  warmly 
proffered.  A  safe-conduct  through  the  French  lines 
was  obtained  for  her,  and  soon  afterwards  she  met  her 
husband  and  family  within  its  friendly  walls.  Frederick 
followed  her,  that  is  to  say,  in  a  few  days,  with  a  bat- 
tered remnant  of  the  force  which  he  had  led  through 
the  Abruzzi— three  thousand  Basque  and  Italian 
infantry,  five  hundred  cavalry.  As  they  descended 
into  the  Apulian  plain  they  had  been  surprised  by  the 
French  and  defeated,  so  that  it  was  not  an  altogether 
joyous  meeting  in  Brindisi  town.  Frederick's  brother 
Cesare  was  among  the  few  survivors,  weary  and  dis- 
consolate. Don  Cesare  seems  to  have  been  a  born 
intriguer,  and  no  sooner  had  he  settled  down  than 
he  began  to  negotiate  secretly  with  the  French  viceroy 
at  Lecce,  proposing  an  interchange  of  prisoners  and 
offering  a  challenge  to  battle.  Brunswick  imprisoned 
the  envoy  who  bore  the  message,  but  so  high  was  the 
feeling  in  the  city  that  he  had  to  release  him,  fearing 
a  people  enraged  at  an  infringement  of  their  code  of 
honour.    Indeed,  they  wrote  to  the  citizens  of  Brindisi 


172  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

privately  on  this   matter,  and  on  their  own  account 
concluded   a   local   armistice.      For   some   time    they 
carried  on  their  mutual  trade,  absolutely  ignoring  the 
two  foreign  factions  whose  respective  standards  floated 
above  their  ramparts.    Asparra  became  at  last  furious 
at   this   disregard   of  his   authority.      Disowning  the 
truce,  he  set  out  from  Lecce  to  harry  all  the  country- 
side round  Brindisi,  and  met  its  Aragonese  defenders 
near  Mesagne.     A  skirmish  followed,  and  Pandrone, 
the  fugitive  viceroy  from  Lecce,  was  killed  by  a  peasant 
of  that  village  during  the  fighting.     Mesagne  was  an 
exposed  position,  and  so  useful  that  the  French  deter- 
mined to  remain  in  possession  if  possible.     Asparra 
in  person  left  Lecce  with  an  adequate  force,  and  took 
up  his  quarters  there,  but  one  fine  day  overshot  his 
mark.    He  had  become  more  and  more  daring  in  these 
constant   skirmishes,    and   on   this   occasion    actually 
reached  the  very  walls  of  Brindisi.     The  Aragonese 
were   stupefied   for   the   moment,    then   they    rapidly 
came  to  their  senses,  fell   upon   him  and  routed  all 
his  men.     Abandoned  by  all,  Asparra  fled  for  his  life 
in  despair,  till  at  last  a  Neapolitan  knight  caught  him 
up  by  furious  riding  and  persuaded  him  to  yield  his 
sword.  Out  there  in  the  bare  plain  that  bright  summer 
afternoon  the  few  hot  words  were  spoken  that  freed 
Brindisi    for   the    time    being    from    a    very    difficult 
situation.      Asparra   was   a   prisoner,  and   Gilbert  of 
Brunswick  remained  in  Lecce  to  uphold  the  power 
and  authority  of  France. 

The  latter  was  created  Count  ot  Lecce,  Matera,  Oria, 
Mesagne,  and  Otranto  by  Charles  in  this  year,  but  did 
not  enjoy  the  honour  for  long.  His  king  found  more 
pressing  matters  to  attend  to  than  drinking-bouts  and 
tilting  at  the  ring  in   Naples,  so  departed  from  that 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  173 

pleasant  city  for  his  own  land  towards  the  end  of  May 
after  an  absence  of  nine  months.  He  left  behind  him 
as  viceroys  the  Duke  of  Montpensier  at  Naples, 
George  de  Sully  at  Taranto,  and  others  in  different 
places,  with  a  view  to  their  managing  the  affairs  of  his 
realm  without  too  much  attention  being  required 
from  Paris. 

To  Don  Frederick  in  Brindisi  this  seemed  an 
auspicious  occasion  for  another  attempt  at  regaining 
his  lost  property.  Uniting  the  men  of  Brindisi, 
Otranto,  Gallipoli,  and  Monopoli,  he  landed  at  the 
harbour  of  San  Cataldo  near  Lecce  with  a  small  fleet. 
As  his  arrival  became  known  in  the  city,  the  banner 
of  Aragon  was  once  more  raised  on  the  walls,  and 
Brunswick  shut  himself  up  with  his  men  in  the  castle. 
Don  Frederick  marched  in  with  flags  flying  and  drums 
beating,  to  be  hailed  as  king;  his  queen  had  been 
brought  there  before  him  and  was  waiting  to  greet 
him.  Without  delay  he  besieged  the  castle.  It  was 
only  a  short  time  before  Brunswick  gave  himself  up 
on  condition  that  his  life  and  his  soldiers'  were  spared. 
They  were  led  as  prisoners  to  Brindisi  and  thence  to 
Mesagne,  where  they  met  their  comrade  Asparra,  who 
had  been  in  durance  vile  since  the  affair  outside 
Brindisi  walls.  The  French  forces  in  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto  gradually  concentrated  in  or  around  Taranto, 
and  their  united  strength  being  defeated  there,  the 
district  from  Taranto  to  Grottaglie  was  once  more  in 
the  hands  of  Aragon. 

The  reign  of  Frederick  was  not  destined  to  be 
peaceful  in  any  way.  In  1500  a  treaty  was  secretly 
concluded  at  Granada  between  Louis  XII.  of  France, 
who  now  held  the  Duchy  of  Milan,  and  Ferdinand 
the  Catholic,  who  had  become  King  of  united  Spain, 


174  IN   THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

to  attack  the  kingdom  of  Naples  in  concert,  and  divide 
it  between  them.  Frederick  had  seen  Milan  fall,  and 
trembled  for  his  own  throne.  He  offered  his  kingdom 
as  a  fief  to  France,  and  fully  trusted  Ferdinand  the 
Catholic,  his  kinsman  and  ally,  knowing  nothing  of 
what  was  transpiring  behind  the  scenes.  He  regarded 
the  army  of  Spanish  soldiers  in  Sicily  under  Gonsalvo 
di  Cordova  as  a  friendly  force.  In  the  following 
summer  these,  the  two  greatest  monarchs  of  Europe, 
put  into  execution  their  treacherous  scheme.  At  the 
end  of  June  the  French  were  in  Rome  and  Gonsalvo 
in  Calabria.  Frederick  saw  that  things  were  des- 
perate, Ferdinand  his  son  wrote  in  July  to  Gallipoli, 
and  told  the  citizens  to  be  prepared  to  welcome  a 
Turkish  force  which  might  arrive  at  the  harbour  of 
San  Cataldo,  near  Lecce,  at  any  moment,  and  to  give 
them  any  assistance  that  lay  in  their  power.  Other 
letters  followed  this,  and  may  be  found  in  the  State 
Record  Office  at  Naples.  Frederick  seems  to  have 
treated  with  the  Turks  before  this  on  other  occasions ; 
and  many  men  were  imprisoned  in  1492  for  an  affair 
of  the  sort,  notably  the  ambassador  Nuccio  Andrano 
of  Lecce.  But  Mussulman  aid  availed  nothing.  Fer- 
dinand shut  himself  up  in  Taranto,  and  awaited  the 
end  of  the  siege.  It  came  speedily;  for  Gonsalvo 
followed  Hannibal's  example,  carried  his  boats  over- 
land to  the  Mare  Piccolo,  and  assailed  the  stronghold 
from  both  sides.  Frederick  surrendered  to  France, 
and  died  there  after  three  years  of  by  no  means 
arduous  confinement.  Ferdinand  was  given  a  free 
pardon ;  but  as  he  left  the  city  and  came  into  the 
Spanish  general's  power,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and 
sent  to  Spain. 
The  Spanish  army  now  marched  northwards  through 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  175 

the  kingdom  to  meet  the  French  on  the  frontier  which 
had  been  defined  at  Granada,  and  to  perform  certain 
ceremonial  acts  now  that  the  country  was  subdued 
and  divided.  Jealousy  appeared,  the  wording  of  the 
treaty  was  disputed,  war  broke  out  between  the 
two  nations,  and  in  a  series  of  defeats  France  was 
gradually  driven  out  of  the  kingdom,  leaving  Spain 
in  absolute  possession. 

During  all  this  warfare  it  can  hardly  be  expected 
that  Lecce  progressed  far  in  other  directions ;  but 
at  least  two  facts  of  interest  stand  out  for  notice. 
The  introduction  of  printing  into  Lecce  took  place 
fifty-ninth  among  the  seventy  cities  of  Italy  which  it 
reached  before  1500,  Subiaco  being  the  first  of  all. 
The  oldest  book  recorded  as  having  been  printed  in 
the  city  is  said  by  Enrico  Warton  and  by  Oleario 
to  be  the  "  Quadragesimale  de  Peccatis"  of  Fra 
Roberto  Caracciolo,  written  in  1475  and  printed 
1490. 

Then  this  same  cleric  himself  is  a  personage  of  the 
greatest  importance,  not  only  as  a  Lecce  citizen,  but 
as  one  of  the  great  preachers  of  Italy.  He  was  born 
in  the  city  in  1425  of  an  old  and  influential  family,  the 
lords  of  Arnesano,  and  bore  the  title  of  Caracciolo  di 
Leone.  He  became  first  a  Minore  Observante,  then 
a  Conventuale,  and  again  an  Observante.  He  was 
also  at  one  time  Bishop  of  Aquino,  and  later  Papal 
Nunzio.  His  fame  as  a  preacher^  was  due  in  part 
to  his  firm  attitude  as  leader  of  the  Franciscan  ob- 
scurantists,  and   he    devoted   his   talents   to   a   fierce 

*  For  contemporary  appreciations  of  his  preaching  see  Ermolao 
Barbaro,  Giovanni  Pontano,  etc.  For  biography  see  his  Life  by 
Domenico  de  Angelis. 


176  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

and  fanatical  exposition  ot  their  reactionary  tenets  in 
opposition  to  the  fast-flowing  stream  of  the  new 
Renaissance  Humanist  school  represented  by  Poggio 
and  Valla.  He  was  popularly  known  as  Robert  of 
Lecce ;  and  his  reputation  extended  far  beyond  the 
walls  of  that  city  to  Florence  and  the  cities  where 
new  views  of  religion  and  philosophy  were  fast 
developing. 

Dying  in  his  native  place  on  May  6th,  1495,  he  was 
buried  there,  in  the  church  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi 
(see  p.  339) ;  but  his  tomb  is  placed  in  an  out-of-the- 
way  place  behind  that  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  Realino 
and  Paradiso. 

Another  feature  of  city  life  dating  from  about  this 
period  was  the  arrival  of  a  number  of  Albanians  from 
over  the  sea,  followers  of  their  great  leader  Scan- 
derbeg,  who  died  in  Italy  in  1466,  or  refugees  from 
his  desolated  country.  They  had  been  known  in 
Lecce  even  so  far  back  as  Queen  Mary's  days ;  and 
a  document  bearing  the  date  1500  is  preserved  among 
the  city  archives  by  which  the  King  enacts  that  Lecce 
is  not  to  be  troubled  with  the  poll-tax  due  from 
Greeks  and  Albanians. 

Up  to  this  point  we  have  not  touched  on  the 
question  of  education  in  Lecce,  and  now  have  arrived 
at  a  time  when  Italy  was  in  the  full  tide  of  her 
Renaissance.  The  revival  of  art  and  letters  reached 
Southern  Italy  late,  and  did  not  find  there  the  rapid 
success  which  it  enjoyed  in  the  vigorous  republics 
farther  north,  or  in  the  Papal  dominions. 

Yet  before  1500  the  Accademia  Pontaniana  was 
founded  at  Naples  by  Giovanni  Pontano,  and  among 
his  colleagues  was  Antonio  de  Ferraris  from  Lecce, 
who,    as    was    customary    in    those    pedantic    days, 


LECCE   UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  177 

adopted  the  classic  name  of  Galateus.  The  curri- 
culum seems  to  have  extended  beyond  the  common 
limits  of  letters  and  philosophy,  and  progress  was 
rapid.  Galateus  had  not  forgotten  the  claims  of  his 
native  city,  and  from  a  letter  of  his  to  Crisostomo 
Colonna  we  hear  of  the  "  Accademia  Lupiensis." 
Fashioned  much  on  the  lines  of  the  older  institution  at 
Naples,  the  members  assumed  classic  names  and  even 
christened  their  lecture-rooms  after  celebrated  people 
and  places  from  antiquity.  De  Simone  imagines 
that  this  busy  home  of  scholarship  was  founded 
with  a  very  different  object — in  fact,  to  form  a  loggia 
or  rendezvous  at  which  the  interests  of  the  House 
of  Aragon  might  be  promoted  under  the  guise  of 
encouraging  philosophers  and  rhetoricians.  It  was 
a  most  natural  thing  that  in  this  region,  where  the 
fate  of  a  dynasty  hung  in  the  balance,  there  should 
be  a  centre  of  activity  for  wire-pullers  to  check  the 
enemy,  spy  wherever  necessary,  strengthen  the  feeble- 
kneed,  and  put  heart  into  the  stalwarts.  Under  the 
guise  of  a  school  after  the  model  of  Pythagoras, 
twenty  centuries  before,  was  a  political  club  almost 
exactly  similar  to  the  Circolo  Patriottico  Salentino 
which  followed  it  for  equally  good  reasons  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years  later.  Galateus  is  an  ex- 
tremely interesting  figure  in  Lecce  history,  and  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  of  his  writings  in  a  subsequent 
chapter.     He  died  at  Lecce  in  15 17. 

Another  literary  light  was  a  Hebrew  of  the  He- 
brews, Abraham  ben  Rabi  Meir  de  Balmis  by  name. 
He  was  born  in  Lecce,  and  lectured  much  there  in 
philosophy,  also  at  Venice  and  Padua,  in  the  late 
fifteenth  and  early  sixteenth  centuries.  He  published 
translations  from  Greek  and  Arabic  of  the  works  of 

12 


178  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Aristotle  and  other  writers,  and  an  original  pamphlet, 
"  De  Demonstratione."  His  "  Mitene  Abraham  "  made 
him  a  famous  man  among  his  contemporaries.  His 
wife  was  converted  to  Christianity  by  the  preaching 
of  Caracciolo. 


(1501 — 1528) 

Before  settling  down  to  the  longest  period  of  peace 
that  Lecce  had  ever  known,  one  more  outbreak  of 
war  was  to  shadow  her  horizon.  Again  France  and 
Spain  were  struggling,  but  on  this  occasion  all  Europe 
was  involved,  for  Charles  V.  had  succeeded  Maxi- 
milian as  emperor,  and  had  disturbed  the  balance 
of  power.  Germany,  Spain,  Naples,  Holland,  and 
much  of  the  New  World  owned  his  sway,  and  France 
feared  that  her  hold  on  Milan  was  doomed.  England, 
France,  and  the  Pope  joined  with  the  principal  powers 
of  Italy — Venice,  Genoa,  Florence,  Ferrara,  Milan, 
Mantua,  Lucca,  and  Siena — in  what  promised  to  be 
a  death-grapple  with  the  Emperor.  Gaston  de  Foix, 
commanding  the  allies,  soon  made  himself  master  of 
nearly  all  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  and  the  Prince  of 
Orange — a  French  nobleman  fighting  on  the  other 
side — shut  himselt  up  in  the  capital,  letting  the  war 
drift  into  Apulia.  The  province  of  Lecce  remained 
faithful  to  the  Imperial  cause,  and  its  conquest  was 
entrusted  to  Gabriel  Barone,  a  noble  of  the  city  who 
had  gone  to  France  with  King  Frederick  many  years 
before,  when  the  Naples  crown  was  seized  by  Spain. 
After  his  master's  death  he  had  been  begged  by  Louis 
XII.  to  enter  his  service,  so  having  renounced  his 
adherence  to  the  House  of  Aragon,  accepted  the 
offer. 


LECCE    UNDER   SPANISH    RULERS  179 

Local  writers  tell  us  that  the  French  kings  held 
Barone  in  high  esteem,  and  one  mark  of  it  was  his 
mission  as  ambassador  to  Venice.  In  attempting  to 
reconquer  the  provinces  of  Bari  and  Lecce  he  was 
to  be  aided  by  the  Venetians,  and  soon  entered  on 
his  task.  Havingsubdued  Melfi  he  raised  his  standard 
over  Trani,  Barletta,  Bisceglie,  Molfetta,  Giovinazzo, 
Bari,  Mola,  Polignano,  and  Monopoli,  entering  the 
Terra  d'  Otranto  at  the  head  ol  eight  hundred  horse. 
In  company  with  him  was  the  Venetian  Provveditore 
Antonio  Ciuranno,  who  commanded  a  squadron  of 
Greek  cavalry  supported  by  twelve  Venetian  galleys 
coasting  along  the  Adriatic  in  touch  with  the  army. 
Alfonso  Castriota,  Marquis  of  Atripalda,  was  Gover- 
nor of  the  province  at  the  time.  He  considered  Lecce 
an  insecure  place,  so  dispatched  his  household  and 
goods  to  Gallipoli,  and  claimed  the  aid  of  his  feudal 
barons  to  destroy  the  deserter.  Men  and  money  were 
offered  him,  but  he  took  the  money  only,  and  decided 
to  hire  five  hundred  Albanian  free-lances  with  whom 
to  march  to  Ostuni  and  oppose  the  allied  forces. 
However,  the  Albanians  seem  to  have  played  him 
false  by  hoisting  the  French  flag  and  scattering  in 
search  of  plunder,  so  that  he  must  have  wished  that 
his  men-at-arms  had  been  recruited  from  Lecce  as 
were  their  leaders.  Barone  held  Ostuni,  Brindisi, 
Mesagne,  and  the  Mediterranean  seaboard,  while  to 
Castriota  remained  Lecce,  Taranto,  and  Gallipoli. 
The  latter  general  had  fled  to  Gallipoli  after  the  Allies 
had  beaten  him  at  Av^etrana. 

Barone  had  a  grandson,  Marcantonio,  in  Lecce.  This 
youth  was  good-looking,  well-mannered,  chivalrous, 
and  brave  and  had  much  influence  with  the  Lecce 
citizens.      Gabriel   communicated   with   him   secretly, 


i8o  IN    THE    HEEL   OF   ITALY 

and  finally  succeeded  in  smuggling  a  considerable 
body  of  soldiers — four  to  eight  hundred  according  to 
different  historians — into  the  city  at  night.  They 
passed  silently  in,  taking  up  the  positions  arranged 
for  them  by  Marcantonio,  and  as  soon  as  the  sun 
had  appeared  in  his  full  strength  Gabriel  himself 
clattered  up  to  the  gates  with  a  strong  force  of 
cavalry.  The  place  was  completely  surprised,  and 
could  offer  no  resistance.  Barone  now  reorganised 
his  army,  placing  Castellano  at  its  head.  To  his 
brother  Raffaele  he  gave  the  command  of  two  hun- 
dred infantry,  made  Marcantonio  colonel  of  three 
thousand,  and  created  Guarino,  the  lord  of  Poggiardo, 
governor  of  the  city.  Then  having  also  strengthened 
his  cavalry  he  proceeded  to  the  assault  of  Taranto, 
which  was  garrisoned  by  royal  soldiers  commanded 
by  the  Count  of  Noja  at  the  head  of  the  city  forces, 
and  by  other  feudal  lords  of  the  province  with  their 
men-at-arms,  concentrated  there  under  the  Prince  of 
Bisignano,  Pierantonio  Sanseverino.  The  besieged 
attempted  a  sortie,  but  fell  into  an  ambuscade  and 
suffered  a  crushing  defeat  from  Gabriel,  leaving  many 
prisoners.  After  this  blow  Taranto  only  just  escaped 
falling  into  Barone's  hands,  there  being  much  plotting 
within  the  city. 

Meanwhile  in  Lecce  folks  were  conspiring  to  make 
the  city  revert  to  the  Catholic  cause.  In  Giacom- 
antonio  Ferrari's  lawyer's  chambers  a  little  band  of 
stalwarts  assembled  night  after  night  to  discuss  ways 
and  means.  Ferrante  Paladini  was  there,  Sigismondo 
Castromediano,  lord  of  Cavallino,  his  brother  Thomas, 
Archdeacon  of  Brindisi,  Antonio  Bozzicorso,  Marquis 
of  Arnesano,  Filippo  Matthei,  Andrea  Francesco  d' 
Ayello,   lord   of  Melpignano,  Alfonso   Sarlo,   lord   ot 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  i8i 

Ussano,  Giovanni  Maria  and  Giovannantonio  Guarino, 
Alfonso  and  Giovannantonio  Mosco,  Paolo  Francesco 
and  Frederico  Ferrari,  Giovannantonio  Rayno,  Leo- 
nardo Carnassa,  Jacopo  and  Falco  de'  Falconi, 
Frederico  Giovanni  and  Luigi  Tafuri,  Ciccio  Coletta, 
Ottaviano  Saetta  and  Francesco  Orimino.  A  bare 
little  list  indeed,  but  one  conveying  much  to  a  student 
of  Lecce's  chequered  fortunes.  Five  pairs  of  brothers 
are  among  the  conspirators,  and  nearly  every  great 
name  in  Lecce  history  is  represented.  In  every  war 
from  Norman  days  up  to  modern  times  we  find  the 
same  families  sending  their  sons  to  council-chamber 
or  to  battle,  and  more  than  three  hundred  years  later 
another  Sigismondo  Castromediano  leads  the  patriotic 
party  in  the  city.  Their  efforts  were  crowned  with 
success.  Castriota  had  come  into  the  neighbourhood 
while  Barone  was  safely  encamped  outside  Taranto, 
and,  like  his  rival,  had  made  elaborate  arrangements 
for  having  the  gates  opened  to  him.  In  broad  daylight 
his  thousand  men  marched  into  the  streets  greeted 
with  ringing  shouts  of  "  Death  to  the  French ! "  and 
**  Long  live  the  Emperor  ! "  In  the  great  square  ol  the 
city  Giovannantonio  Ferrari,  who  for  so  long  had 
made  his  house  a  rendezvous  for  the  Catholic  cause, 
unfurled  the  Imperial  banner.  No  attempt  was  made 
at  doing  these  things  covertly ;  the  news  travelled  at 
once  to  Barone  at  Taranto,  and  without  delay  he 
marched  on  the  rebel  city.  But  the  blood  of  the 
Leccese  was  up,  they  hated  the  French  soldiery  and  the 
treacherous  turncoat  who  commanded  them.  Barone 
was  routed  this  time,  fled  towards  Rocca,  but  was 
attacked  there  and  forced  to  yield.  By  this  time 
only  Nardo  and  Castro  of  the  towns  in  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Allies,  and 


i82  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

before  long  Spain  resumed  her  uninterrupted  sway  of 
all  Southern  Italy  without  further  serious  molestation. 
This  campaign,  which  ended  in  1528,  cost  Lecce  not 
only  the  lives  of  many  of  her  most  gallant  citizens, 
but  also  the  sum  of  15,000  ducats,  about  ^{^2,500  in 
our  money. 

With  the  exception  of  this  stormy  period  in  its  first 
quarter,  the  sixteenth  century  in  Lecce  was  an  era  of 
considerable  progress,  and  during  the  long  reigns  of 
Charles  V.  and  Philip  II.,  extending  from  15 15  to 
1598,  life  in  the  city  became  more  tolerable  and  civi- 
lised. Patriotism  its  sons  had  never  lacked,  a  taste  for 
commerce  had  developed  llong  before  this,  but  the 
civilising  and  humanising  influences  ot  education  and 
religion  had  never  yet  had  a  chance  of  development 
uninterrupted  by  war  or  pestilence. 

This  development  was  indeed  partly  made  possible 
by  the  strong  measures  which  Charles  took  for  safe- 
guarding the  city.  Constant  attacks  by  African  corsairs 
forced  him  to  think  of  some  better  way  of  protecting 
these  defenceless  coasts  and  eighty-three  towers  on  the 
Adriatic  and  Ionian  shores  of  the  Terra  d'Otranto 
were  erected  at  his  direction  and  fortified  with  cannon. 
At  the  present  time  those  which  are  still  standing 
are  used  for  dogane  or  transformed  into  lighthouses, 
as  in  the  case  of  those  at  Palascia,  near  Otranto,  at 
Melendugno,  near  Cape  S.  Maria  di  Leuca,  and  at 
Penne,  near  Brindisi.  He  also  ordered  the  existing 
castle  at  Lecce  to  be  enlarged  and  new  fortifications  to 
be  built  round  it,  entrusting  the  work  to  a  famous 
military  architect  and  citizen  of  Lecce,  Gian  Jacopo 
deir  Acaya,  who  designed  the  Castle  of  St.  Elmo  at 
Naples,  those  at  Capua  and  Cosenza,  and  one  on  his 
own  ancestral  estate  in  the  neighbourhood.     The  city 


I 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  183 

walls  were  also  rebuilt,  on  a  more  ambitious  scale 
than  hitherto,  with  twenty  bastions  and  a  deep  moat. 
Much  of  these  walls  still  remains,  but  part  has  been 
incorporated  into  later  buildings  and  gardens,  and 
a  certain  amount  demolished.  It  was  during  these 
operations,  in  1539,  that  Walter  V.'s  church  of  S. 
Croce  had  to  be  removed  from  its  original  site  to 
make  way  for  the  additions  to  the  Castle,  and  after  all 
the  work  was  finished,  in  1548,  that  the  Leccese 
erected  the  great  Triumphal  Arch  at  the  Naples  Gate 
of  the  city. 

Charles  does  not  seem  to  have  interfered  in  any 
way  with  the  judicial  machinery  of  the  province,  al- 
ready much  improved  during  the  Aragon  regime,  and 
did  no  more  than  confirm  the  privileges  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Council.  In  matters  educational  rapid  progress 
is  to  be  noted.  Galateus  had  died  in  15 17,  and  it  was 
about  forty  years  later  that  a  second  Academy  was 
founded  in  the  city  by  Scipione  Ammirato,  who 
was  to  become  famous  as  a  writer,  and  of  whom  I 
shall  have  more  to  say  in  another  chapter.  This 
institution  may  or  may  not  have  had  a  political  object, 
and  existing  documents  are  not  very  clear  on  the 
point.  However,  de  Simone  quotes  from  an  old 
writer  an  account  of  its  condition  which  is  so  amusing 
that  I  give  a  rough  translation  : 

"  Loving  one  another  whole-heartedly,  often  meeting 
together  at  dinner,  and  sitting  through  the  night  till 
they  trespassed  on  daylight  itself,  no  cloud  obscured 
their  horizon  and  no  cause  of  quarrel  arose.  .  .  . 
Moreover,  as  they  mixed  with  many  who  did  not 
belong  to  their  Accademia  these  latter  too  learned 
from  them  the  correct  manners  of  life,  and  themselves 
became  polite  and  refined.     In  time  it  happened  that  a 


i84  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

Carnival  came  to  be  held  for  twelve  days,  with  much 
show  of  taste,  at  which  two  excellent  comedies  were 
produced.  And  the  city  was  greatly  delighted  there- 
by, and  it  appeared  marvellous  to  all  that  such  youths, 
for  the  most  part  sons  still  living  in  their  parents' 
homes,  could  attempt  so  ambitious  a  display  and  yet 
succeed  so  brilliantly." 

This  Academy,  known  as  "  Dei  Trasformati,"  seems 
to  have  waned  after  Ammirato's  death,  and  died  a 
natural  death  towards  the  close  of  the  century. 

In  1558  the  authorities  of  the  city  and  district 
petitioned  King  Philip  of  Spain  that  public  schools 
should  be  established  in  Lecce  for  the  youth  of  the 
province.  By  an  order  of  October  6th  in  that  year 
from  the  King  at  Arras,  the  Viceroy  was  instructed  to 
make  the  necessary  arrangements  and  to  apply  for  a 
faculty. 

In  another  respect  the  growth  of  humane  ideas  is 
very  noticeable.  A  worthy  lawyer  of  the  city — Donate 
Sala  by  name — had  died  in  1490,  and  by  his  will  left 
a  sum  for  founding  a  Spedale  for  foundlings,  dedicated 
to  San  Nicolo.  But  charitable  bequests  seldom  are 
quickly  executed,  and  it  was  not  till  1534  that  the 
institution  really  became  an  accomplished  fact.  For 
thirty-four  years  the  municipal  authority  administered 
it ;  then,  as  the  Church  became  more  and  more  powerful, 
she  gained  control  of  this  charity  too,  and  it  became 
connected  with  the  Spedale  dello  Spirito  Santo  by  a 
Bull  of  Julius  III.  A  number  of  women  were  paid  as 
searchers  for  the  little  waifs,  others  brought  them  up 
according  to  their  needs.  How  crying  was  the  need 
for  something  of  the  sort  may  be  imagined  when  one 
reads  what  Ferrari  has  to  say  of  this  cultured  and 
wealthy  city  in  1544. 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


p.  184] 


13.       THE    NAPLES   GATE,    LECCE 
(By  permission  of  The  Architectural  Review) 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  185 

"  Children  not  born  of  legitimate  nuptials  were 
abandoned  in  the  middle  of  the  public  highways  and 
fields,  left  to  be  devoured  of  wild  beasts  and  dogs,  or 
to  perish  of  their  own  accord  without  even  being  able 
to  know  whether  they  had  received  Holy  Baptism." 

In  1650  the  city  was  ordered  to  pay  50  ducats  a 
month  (about  ;^8)  towards  educating  these  children, 
and  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  century  more  than 
two  hundred  were  being  maintained.  By  that  time 
the  expense  was  becoming  so  heavy  that  the  Spedale 
dello  Spirito  Santo  had  to  give  up  its  charge  into 
other  hands.  We  last  hear  of  the  Foundling  Hospital 
in  Napoleonic  times,  when  the  whole  place  was  re- 
modelled and  the  staff  was  reduced  to  one  solitary 
custodian,  who  received  any  children  brought  to  him, 
presented  them  to  the  city  officials  for  registration, 
and  then  consigned  them  to  foster-mothers.  Round 
each  of  their  necks  the  foundlings  had  to  wear  a  little 
lead  seal,  the  boys  till  they  were  eight  years  old,  girls 
till  they  were  ten.  After  a  few  years  this  rather 
degrading  stigma  was  abolished,  and  the  little  waifs 
were  in  no  way  differentiated  from  the  happy  legiti- 
mates with  whom  they  played.  It  is  the  same  kind 
feeling  for  unfortunates  which  has  prompted  many 
thoughtful  Boards  of  Guardians  in  England  to-day  to 
abolish  the  hated  uniformity  of  garb  among  work- 
house inmates. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  event  of  sixteenth-century 
church  history  in  Lecce  was  the  arrival  of  the  Jesuits 
in  1574,  a  small  body  led  by  Father  Bernardino 
Realino  daCampi.  Forty  years  before  this  the  Society 
of  Jesus  had  been  founded,  and  its  growth  had  been 
extraordinarily  rapid  between  1560  and  the  date  of 
the  first  appearance  in  Lecce.      In  1563  its  members 


i86  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

numbered  3,500  in  eighteen  provinces.  Content  to 
begin  in  a  small  way  at  Lecce,  they  drove  out  the 
Greeks  from  the  church  which  the  latter  occupied, 
commenced  to  hold  their  own  services  there,  and 
speedily  created  a  party  in  their  favour  in  the  city. 
The  Mettola,  Prioli,  Fedele,  and  Antoglietta  families 
lent  them  powerful  support,  and  a  fat  legacy  from 
Raffaele  Staivano  furnished  the  means  for  building 
the  fine  church  still  in  existence,  though  the  other 
buildings  connected  with  it  form  the  Tribunali  at  the 
present  time.  One  of  the  Jesuits'  chief  objects  was 
education,  and  in  their  first  year  they  opened  three 
schools,  following  with  chairs  of  rhetoric,  philosophy, 
theory  of  teaching,  and  ethics,  as  soon  as  their  new 
premises  were  completed. 

One  of  their  pupils  had  a  stirring  career.  Sabatino 
de  Ursis  was  born  in  Lecce  in  1575  and  became  a 
Jesuit  in  1597.  His  training  completed,  he  was  sent 
as  a  missionary  to  China  and  lived  there  many  years. 
Father  Ricci  had  already  broken  the  ice,  but  de  Ursis 
can  have  found  no  bed  of  roses  awaiting  him  in  the 
opening  years  of  the  seventeenth  century  when  he 
landed  on  so  little-known  a  shore.  Like  many 
missionary  pioneers,  preaching  and  expounding  his 
faith  formed  but  a  small  part  of  his  work.  He  studied 
Chinese  language  and  history  as  thoroughly  as  his 
limited  opportunities  would  allow,  taught  the  people 
of  his  acquired  knowledge  as  he  learned  it,  and 
devoted  his  spare  time  to  experiments  with  hydraulic 
machinery.  In  1620  he  died  of  consumption  at  Macao 
after  a  decade  of  hard  and  probably  depressing  work, 
but  work  which  paved  the  way  for  missionaries  who 
followed  the  Jesuits  in  the  nineteenth  century.  His 
published  works  are  recorded  by  Sotwel. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  187 

One  more  improvement  in  Lecce  at  this  time  may 
be  mentioned.  Up  to  1539  the  streets  had  been  in 
a  disgraceful  condition,  as  they  were  in  English  towns 
at  the  same  date,  but  in  that  year  President  Scipione 
de  Summa  began  to  pave  them.  His  successor, 
Ferrante  LofFredo,  carried  on  the  good  work,  but  a 
reaction  seems  to  have  set  in,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century  we  again  read  of  the  streets  being 
like  a  swamp.  So  in  1692  it  was  decreed  that  paving 
must  again  be  put  down,  and  a  tax  was  levied  on  corn 
and  cattle  for  three  years  from  1693.  The  clergy,  as 
usual,  were  exempt,  but  in  this  case  co-operated  in 
bearing  the  cost.  In  the  eighteenth  century  this  tax 
was  again  levied,  and  three  "  Paving  Deputies  "  were 
appointed. 


The  Seventeenth  Century 

The  seventeenth  century  in  Lecce  was  more  devoid 
of  incident  than  any  which  had  preceded  it  since  the 
Dark  Ages.  Following  the  long  reigns  of  Charles  V. 
and  Philip  IL  came  three  more,  which  lasted  from 
1598  to  1700 — those  of  Philip  III.,  Philip  IV.,  and 
Charles  II.  The  first  was  a  pious,  unambitious  man, 
and  under  his  rule  Spain  lost  much  of  her  enormous 
power  in  Europe  and  America.  Under  his  successor 
the  Thirty  Years  War  in  Europe  and  constant  fighting 
with  Holland  in  the  Far  East  or  elsewhere,  caused 
the  viceroys  in  Southern  Italy  to  be  very  much  left 
to  themselves.  Their  administration  was  hard  and 
tactless ;  Naples  blood  was  hot  and  reckless.  The 
people  were  indolent  and  poor,  taxes  were  heaped 
upon  them.     At  last  the  storm  broke.     A  poor  fisher- 


i88  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

man  named  Tommaso  Aniello — Masaniello  for  short 
— led  the  revolt.  Young  and  ardent,  he  soon  gained 
the  only  too  ready  ear  of  the  city.  A  dispute  had 
arisen  in  1647  over  the  payment  of  a  tax  on  fruit 
which  afforded  a  pretext.  The  popular  feeling  was 
strongly  in  his  favour,  and  for  a  week  he  was  master 
of  the  city.  But  excitement  turned  his  head.  He 
was  no  Napoleon  to  rise  from  the  ranks  and  control 
the  destinies  of  a  nation,  and  the  Spanish  garrison 
was  well  organised.  Masaniello's  head  was  turned, 
he  was  confined  in  a  monastery  and  assassinated, 
while  Naples  came  back  again  to  the  iron  heel  of 
Spain.  Lecce  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  this 
insurrection,  but  Boccapianolo,  the  vice-duke  of 
Arco's  envoy  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  had  sternly 
quelled  the  attempt.  All  through  this  century  there 
took  place  gusts  of  civil  war  in  the  city,  and  on  one 
occasion,  in  1646,  Pappacoda,  the  Bishop,  armed  all 
the  priests. 

An  event  in  church  history  forms  the  most  striking 
feature  of  the  period.  On  March  13th,  161 5,  there 
was  born  at  Naples  one  Antonio  Pignatelli,  son  of 
Francesco,  Marquis  of  Spinazzola,  and  of  one  of  the 
Carafa  family.  His  career  was  a  long  chronicle  of 
triumphs,  culminating  at  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  He 
was  early  admitted  to  the  prelacy,  and  became 
successfully  vice-legate  of  Urbino,  inquisitor  of  Malta, 
and  governor  of  Perugia.  Yet  his  insatiable  ambition 
found  its  progress  too  slow,  and  he  felt  inclined  to 
abandon  his  ecclesiastical  profession  altogether.  Then 
came  other  appointments.  He  became  nuncio  to 
Florence,  then  for  eight  years  to  Poland,  and  next 
to  Germany — an  office  which  usually  was  followed  as 
a  matter  of  course  by  the  cardinal's  hat. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  189 

"  But  whether,"  says  Contarini,  "  from  the  influence 
of  inauspicious  stars  or  from  disincHnation  towards 
him  in  the  government  of  Clement  IX.,  instead  of 
being  rewarded  he  was  recalled  and  dispatched  as 
bishop  to  Lezze  on  the  extreme  boundaries  of  Naples. 
Under  these  circumstances  he  was  compelled  to  exert 
the  whole  force  of  his  mind,  and  the  most  manly 
firmness;  all  the  court  was  in  fact  astonished  at  the 
moderation  and  resigned  spirit  of  which  he  gave 
proof.  With  a  supernatural  serenity  he  even  returned 
thanks  for  their  appointment,  '  because  he  should  now 
no  longer  have  to  endure  the  heavy  burden  of  the 
nunciature.'  " 

Contarini  says  that  Clement  IX.  banished  Pignatelli 
and  Clement  X.  recalled  him ;  the  Roman  authors  say 
Clement  X.  did  both.  De  Simone  makes  him  Bishop 
of  Lecce  from  1671-1682.  We  have  little  record  of 
his  life  there,  and  only  know  that  it  was  a  great 
building  era,  and  an  era  in  which  the  Church  must 
have  been  passing  prosperous  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto. 
He  obtained  his  cardinal's  hat  in  168 1,  and  was  next 
Bishop  of  Faenza,  legate  of  Bologna,  and  Archbishop 
of  Naples  within  a  few  years.  He  was  now  marked 
as  a  possible  candidate  for  the  Papacy. 

At  the  conclave,  after  Innocent  XL's  death,  his  name 
was  mentioned,  and  when  Alexander  VIll.  passed 
away  he  was  elected  after  a  five  months'  palaver. 
The  result  was,  however,  quite  unexpected,  and  was 
caused  by  the  support  of  the  French  clerics — the 
feeling  being  for  a  mild  and  peaceable  man.  "  All 
the  cardinals,"  we  are  told,  "  were  wearied  out." 

The  new  Pope  laboured  to  follow  Innocent  XL, 
but  substituted  clemency  for  harshness.  His  connec- 
tion with  Lecce  justifies  a  few  extracts  from  Contarini 
depicting  his  character  and  methods. 


190  IN    THE    HEEL   OF   ITALY 

"  All  confessed  that  this  public  audience  was  a 
powerful  check  on  the  ministers  and  judges  ;  for  the 
means  of  approaching  the  ear  of  the  prince  were  thus 
afforded  to  all,  and  made  it  easy  to  disclose  to  him 
things  which  had  previously  been  concealed  from  the 
papers,  either  by  the  authority  or  the  craft  of  those 
who  surrounded  them." 

Another  reform  came  with  the  introduction  of  a 
Bill  respecting  nepotism,  which  set  a  limit  on  the 
amount  of  Church  revenues  to  be  conferred  on  any 
kinsman  of  the  Pope.  Contarini  laments  that  Innocent 
had  no  nephews  who  might  feel  some  pride  in  their 
uncle's  greatness.  The  reformer's  next  step  was  to 
abolish  the  sale  of  public  appointments. 

"  He  thus  deprived  gold  ot  its  power,  and  made  it 
once  more  possible  for  virtue  to  attain  to  the  highest 
places."  ^ 

"The  Pope  has  nothing  in  his  thoughts  but  God, 
the  poor,  and  the  reform  of  abuses.  He  lives  in  the 
most  abstemious  retirement,  devoting  every  hour  to 
his  duties,  without  consideration  for  his  health.  He 
is  most  blameless  in  his  habits,  and  most  conscien- 
tious ;  he  is  also  extremely  disinterested,  nor  does  he 
seek  to  enrich  his  kindred  ;  he  is  full  of  love  to  the 
poor,  and  is  endowed  with  all  the  great  qualities  that 
could  be  desired  for  the  head  of  the  Church.  Could 
he  only  but  act  for  himself  on  all  occasions,  he  would 
be  one  of  the  first  of  popes.  .  .  ." 

"  Those  great  and  resplendent  virtues  were  seen  to 
be  obscured  by  the  craft  of  the  ministers,  who  were 
but  too  well  practised  in  the  arts  of  the  court." 

*  "  Relazione  di  Domenico  Contarini  K."  Roma,  1696,  5  Luglio. 
(Report  by  Domenico  Contarini)  Venetian  archives,  18  leaves.  This 
report  is  quoted  by  Ranke  in  the  Appendix  to  his  "  History  of  the 
Popes."     Document  No.  153,  in  the  1908  edition. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  191 

These  crafty  schemers  made  capital  of  the  Pope's 
reforming  zeal  by  diverting  it  into  less  dangerous 
channels.  They  suggested  a  hospital  at  the  Lateran. 
Innocent  rose  to  the  bait,  and  the  energy  he  had 
divided  between  relieving  the  poor  and  checking 
clerical  abuses  was  thus  concentrated  on  the  former 
object  alone.  "  Questo  chiodo  fermo  I'ardente  volonta 
del  papa  di  riformare,"  says  Contarini  (which  is,  being 
interpreted,  "  That  nail  effectually  stopped  the  Pope's 
eager  progress  in  reform  ").  He  seems  to  have  carried 
out  numberless  good  works  besides  this,  but  lived 
much  too  long  to  suit  the  college  of  cardinals.  There 
was  no  love  lost  between  Innocent  and  them. 

As  a  politician  he  also  made  his  mark  on  European 
history,  and  acquired  a  reputation  for  being  almost  too 
conciliatory.  He  was  on  good  terms  with  Louis  XIV., 
and  recommended  Charles  II.  of  Spain  to  appoint  him 
as  his  successor. 

He  died  on  September  27th,  1700,  and  is  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  most  interesting  personages  connected  with 
Lecce,  the  city  where,  as  bishop,  he  gained  the  ex- 
perience which  blossomed  out  so  luxuriantly  when 
he  mounted  St.  Peter's  throne. 

There  seems  to  have  been  little  change  in  civic  life 
in  Lecce  during  this  century  beyond  development  on 
existing  lines.  The  foreign  element  remained  a  con- 
spicuous feature,  and  we  have  some  record  of  the 
Greek  community  who,  as  we  have  seen,  were  turned 
out  of  their  church  of  San  Nicolo  in  1575  and  moved 
to  San  Giovanni  del  Malato,  afterwards  created  a 
Parrocchia  under  the  title  of  S.  Nicolo  de  Greci. 
De  Simone  has  written  a  monograph  on  Greek 
settlements  in  Lecce  and  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  in 
which   he   quotes   from    an  Appendix  to   Panettera's 


192  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Chronicles  a  record  of  many  Greek  families  arriving 
there  in  1636,  and  on  other  occasions  up  to  the  end 
of  the  century.  In  most  cases  these  people  came  from 
districts  specially  oppressed  by  the  Turks.  Some 
settled  in  the  city,  others  only  remained  there  until 
they  could  make  arrangements  for  moving  to  some 
other  place  in  the  province.  In  1682  a  Greek  arch- 
bishop officiated  on  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  day  in  San 
Giovanni  d'Aymo,  and  ordained  many  Greek  clergy 
of  the  neighbourhood.  Father  Luigi  Tasselli,  a 
Capuchin,  of  Casarano  (author  of  "  Leuca  Sacra,"  a 
valuable  book  in  the  absence  of  more  reliable 
histories),  was  preaching  in  the  East  about  this  time, 
warmly  advocating  the  Pope's  primacy.  On  returning 
to  Lecce  he  published  a  book  dealing  with  ritual 
difference  between  the  Eastern  and  Western  Churches 
in  1664.  He  died  at  a  great  age  at  Casarano  on 
March  20th,  1694. 

In  spite  of  constant  civil  wars  during  a  part  of  this 
century,  it  must  have  been  a  period  of  wonderful 
prosperity  Jor  Lecce,  seeing  that  so  many  of  its  most 
famous  buildings  were  then  erected.  The  records 
of  their  erection  will  be  considered  in  a  subsequent 
chapter  on  the  characteristic  local  architecture,  which 
consists  almost  entirely  of  remains  of  churches  and 
palaces  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  century 
baroque  period. 

The  academies,  which  were  forming  a  part  of 
political  Lecce  as  well  as  being  educational  centres, 
were  augmented  somewhere  between  1678  and  1683 
by  the  addition  of  another  to  their  number,  the 
Accademia  degli  Spioni.  The  "  Accademia  Lupiensis  " 
of  Ferrari's  time  had  probably  ceased  to  exist,  that 
of   the   Trasformati   was    still   flourishing.      Platonic 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  193 

philosophy,    Cartesian   geometry,   and    Greek   poetry 
appeared  on  its  curriculum  ;   also  Latin,   Italian,  and 
local  history.     Again,  however,  we  find  these  educa- 
tional   institutions    serving    as    centres    for    political 
sedition,    and    the   Accademia    degli    Spioni    took    a 
prominent  part  in  the  plots  at  the  beginning  of  the 
War  of  the  Spanish  Succession.     The  second  Charles 
of  Spain  died  in   1700,  and  left  his  monarchy  to  the 
Duke    of    Anjou,    Philip    of    Bourbon,    who    became 
Philip  V.  of  Spain  thirtieth  King  of  Naples.     On  the 
other  hand,  there   was   a   claimant   in   the  person  of 
the  Archduke  Charles  of  Austria,  whose  cause  was 
supported  by  England,  Holland,  Portugal,  and  Savoy. 
The  Allied  forces,  under  Count  Daun,  took  possession 
of  the  kingdom  of  Naples  on  July  7th,    1707,  in  the 
name   of  the   Archduke,   now   Charles    VI.,   King   of 
Naples.     Meanwhile  there  had  been  strenuous  times 
at  the  Accademia  degli  Spioni  at   Lecce,  which  was 
working  on  behalf  of  the  allies.     Two  of  the  weaker 
brethren  had  betrayed  the  rest ;  a  charge  of  treason 
was  brought,  and  on  the  night  of  October  26th,  1706, 
most   of  the   members  were   arrested,  a   few   saving 
themselves  by  flight. 

Among  the  former  were  Giusto  Palma,  two  of  the 
Ales,  and  Errico  Marescallo,  who  were  taken  as 
prisoners  to  the  sea-fort  of  Brindisi,  where  they 
remained  for  five  months  suffering  untold  misery, 
and  at  last  were  liberated  by  the  aid  of  the  Governor 
of  Taranto,  Those  who  saved  themselves  by  fleeing 
the'  country  were  the  Abbot  Domenico  de  Angelis, 
and  many  others,  notably  Gustavo  Paladini,  who 
suffered  more  than  most  of  the  rest,  as  two  of  his 
fiefs  were  confiscated.  They  bore  their  confinement 
bravely.     Palma,   indeed,  escaped  death  through  im- 

13 


194  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

prisonment,  and  one  of  his  kinsmen,  bearing  the 
historic  name  of  Oronzo,  succumbed  to  the  dagger 
of  a  poHtical  assassin  in  his  native  city.  Giusto  had 
been  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Accademia  degH  Spioni, 
was  President  at  the  time  of  his  arrest,  and  remained 
so  until  his  death.  He  was  a  skilful  writer,  both  in 
prose  and  verse,  well  versed  in  the  lore  of  the  district. 
One  of  his  principal  works  was  an  edition  of  the 
chronicles  of  **  Messer  Antonello  Coniger,"  but  unfor- 
tunately the  book  is  very  scarce,  as  he  discovered 
so  many  errors  after  publication  that  he  recalled 
all  possible  copies  and  burned  them,  intending  to 
issue  a  revised  version.  His  death,  however,  pre- 
vented this  hope  becoming  realised,  and  the  few 
remaining  specimens  bear  the  date  1700,  and  give 
Brindisi  as  the  place  of  publication.^  In  1707  he 
published  Ferrari's  book  on  Lecce,^  with  a  preface 
of  his  own,  and  dedicated  the  volume  to  Francesco 
Antonio  Persone.  A  man  of  wide  culture,  he  was 
no  mean  student  of  astrology,  and  left  his  mark  on 
Lecce  educational  life  of  his  day.  His  grandnephew 
Giancamillo,  Archdeacon  of  Lecce,  was  a  Doctor  of 
Theology  and  also  a  very  versatile  scholar,  many 
of  whose  works  are  recorded  by  de  Simone. 

The  Eighteenth  Century 

The  city  was  now  producing  many  writers,  and  was 
at  the  height  of  its  prosperity  in  the  region  of  art. 
Architects  and  sculptors  were  combining  in  the  rich 
baroque   churches   and   palaces ;   local    painters  were 

'  "Apologia  Paradossica  della  Citt^  di  Lecce  di  M.  Jacopo  Antonio 
Ferrari.''     See  Bibliography. 
*  See  Bibliography. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  195 

busily  at  work  on  altar-pieces  and  votive  pictures. 
Yet  existence  in  Lecce  in  the  eighteenth  century  was 
not  without  incident,  and  every  now  and  then  a  little 
cloud  arose  on  its  placid  horizon.  Perhaps  a  place 
which  had  been  such  a  cockpit  in  the  past  found 
respectability  too  humdrum. 

Taking  these  diversions  in  order,  the  first  arose 
from  disputes  about  a  bread-tax.  Cardinal  Grimani, 
the  viceroy,  issued  an  order  on  February  loth,  17 10, 
suppressing  all  mills  lying  outside  the  city,  estab- 
lishing weighing-places  at  all  the  "  posti "  where 
customs  were  then  levied,  and  granting  a  loaf  of 
bread  tax-free  to  each  priest  daily.  If  there  was  one 
thing  on  earth  about  which  the  Lecce  temper  was 
sensitive  it  was  the  bread-tax.  The  Church  in  Italy, 
at  any  rate  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  was  becoming 
very  powerful  at  the  same  time  that  in  England  it 
was  rapidly  losing  its  hold  on  the  popular  mind. 
It  was  at  the  same  time  becoming  more  and  more 
arrogant.  Instead  of  inviting  the  co-operation  of 
the  municipal  authorities,  the  Episcopal  Tribunal  of 
Monsignor  the  Bishop,  Fabrizio  Pignatelli,  hailed 
these  gentry  before  them.  There  was  the  president, 
the  Count  of  Montuoro,  and  the  mayor,  Donato  Maria 
Brunetti.  Both  were  men  of  position  and  eminence. 
They  knew  that  the  city  was  behind  them,  and  they 
resented  the  tone  of  the  ecclesiastical  summons.  So 
they  took  no  notice,  and  were  promptly  excommuni- 
cated by  Pignatelli.  Here  is  the  democratic  spirit 
which  is  to  be  found  in  every  little  hot-headed  town 
in  Italy,  always  ready  to  fly  at  its  neighbour's  throat 
at  the  least  suggestion  of  an  insult.  Lecce  heads  were 
hot,  and  only  required  this  spark  of  provocation  to 
begin  the  fray.     A  miserable  clerk  of  the  Curia  was 


196  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

caught  smuggling  grain  out  of  the  Porta  di  Napoli 
and  set  on  by  the  rabble.  Two  plucky  priests  ran 
to  his  aid,  and  a  scuffle  ensued,  in  which  several  folk 
were  badly  damaged.  The  President  then  ordered 
the  arrest  of  several  Curiali,  but  they  fled  into  the 
nearest  churches. 

Matters  were  now  becoming  serious  enough  to  be 
noticed  at  Naples,  and  on  February  27th  a  dispatch 
arrived  asking  for  some  account  of  these  doings ;  but 
the  Bishop  maintained  a  haughty  silence.  A  month 
later  another  followed,  confiscating  the  episcopal 
revenues.  The  royal  officials  tried  to  enforce  it,  but 
were  powerless,  and  the  clerks  chosen  for  the  work 
took  sanctuary  at  various  altars.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  commute  the  unpopular  tax  for  five  hundred 
ducats  in  August,  and  in  November  171 1  a  desperate 
step  was  taken.  The  authorities  were  ordered  to 
imprison  the  Bishop.  How  this  was  to  be  done 
was  no  easy  problem.  The  quarrel  had  lasted  so  long 
and  become  so  angry  that  anything  was  to  be  appre- 
hended. There  lay  the  orders  from  Madrid,  orders 
which  admitted  of  no  shuffling.  One  night,  when 
the  city  was  for  the  most  part  in  bed,  a  picked  body 
of  soldiers  surrounded  the  episcopal  palace  and  per- 
formed their  duty.  But  the  clerics  had  not  been  idle. 
The  clang  of  bells — that  terrible  sound,  which  as  the 
tocsin  heralded  some  of  the  most  awful  deeds  of  blood 
in  the  French  Revolution,  the  sound  which  in  so  many 
Catholic  countries  has  been  the  signal  for  inhuman 
carnage — broke  over  the  sleeping  cit}^  How  great 
a  volume  of  noise  might  be  thus  produced  is  easily 
imagined  by  any  visitor  to  Lecce  to-day  who  is  a 
light  sleeper,  when  he  hears  the  bells  of  thirty 
churches  tell  the  hour  to  echoing  stone-paved  streets. 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  197 

But  Lecce  feared  Spanish  musketry  more  than  clerical 
ire,  and  Pignatelli  was  carried  a  prisoner  to  Naples, 
and  thence  to  Rome.  When  daybreak  broke  after 
his  arrest,  placards  were  found  by  the  excited  citizens 
posted  in  various  prominent  places  excommunicating 
the  President  and  fifty-eight  other  persons,  and  putting 
both  city  and  diocese  under  an  Interdict.  All  the 
churches  were  closed,  and  the  rites  for  burial  of 
the  dead  refused. 

The  Municipality  soon  opened  a  sort  of  burial-office 
near  the  Porta  San  Biagio,  and  shortly  afterwards 
others  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  In  the  middle  of 
December  four  royal  chaplains  arrived  from  Naples 
to  officiate  in  the  Church  of  the  Trinity,  perform 
funeral  rites  in  the  same  church  and  in  the  one 
belonging  to  the  Castle,  and  to  celebrate  the  Nativity 
festival  in  all  the  churches.  During  January  there 
was  a  continual  stream  of  conflicting  orders — on  the 
one  hand  from  the  Pope  against  the  alien  chaplains, 
on  the  other  from  Naples  on  their  behalf.  At  last 
a  letter  was  written  to  the  Pope  by  Count  Daun,  the 
viceroy  from  Madrid,  threatening  to  invade  his  States 
with  forty  thousand  troops.  At  this  His  Holiness 
began  to  relent  and  mitigated  the  Interdict.  The 
city  then  sent  two  of  its  faithful  to  Spain  as  am- 
bassadors, to  treat  for  a  truce.  They  appear  to  have 
been  unsuccessful,  but  at  last,  in  May  1719,  by  orders 
contained  in  a  Royal  dispatch,  the  President  removed 
the  ban  from  the  Bishop's  return.  Back  came  the 
unfortunate  prelate  to  Lecce  from  Rome,  arriving  on 
April  23rd,  and  the  very  next  day  he  removed  the 
Interdict  which  had  clouded  the  city  for  nearly  eight 
years. 

During  this   period  an  invasion  of  the  Turks  was 


198  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

feared.  They  had  already  landed  at  Rocca,  and  in 
the  scare  which  arose  all  the  priests  were  armed  by 
the  Provicario  Capitolare,  as  they  had  been  on  at 
least  one  occasion  previously.  They  formed  so  large 
a  body  that  their  aid  was  not  to  be  despised,  and 
at  this  moment  were  swelling  the  ranks  of  the  Lecce 
unemployed. 

In  August  1714  Giuseppe  di  Pompeo  Paladini,  the 
mayor,  died.  He  was  one  of  the  excommunicated, 
and  the  gorgeous  funeral  which  the  people  gave  him 
was  the  signal  for  a  great  demonstration  of  popular 
feeling.  All  the  nobility  of  the  city  carried  torches, 
and  all  the  citizens  followed  the  coffin.  Interdict 
there  might  be,  but  never  had  such  a  procession 
passed  through  Lecce  streets  to  the  Sedile. 

In  1734  the  house  of  the  tax-gatherer  Francesco 
Cardamone  was  sacked  by  the  populace. 

The  Mayor,  or  Sindaco  as  the  Italians  call  him, 
was  a  very  important  personage  in  those  days.  "  He 
was  venerated  as  a  deity,"  says  one  writer,  "  and  if  by 
any  chance  he  should  suffer  dishonour  the  whole  city 
would  avenge  him  with  its  blood."  On  various  oc- 
casions when  he  found  himself  in  a  tight  place  the 
Mayor  rang  his  alarm-bell,  sure  of  a  ready  response 
from  all  quarters  in  a  few  minutes.  Piccinni  relates 
an  anecdote  of  one  holder  of  the  office  who  was  visited 
by  an  ensign  of  cavalry.  This  gallant  officer  had 
successfully  blackmailed  the  preceding  mayor,  and 
now  came  to  the  new  one  with  a  request  for  forty 
ducats.  He  found,  however,  that  his  victim  had  no 
sympathy  with  his  cause,  and  fled  in  discomfiture 
amid  the  jeers  of  many  burgesses  who  had  run  up  at 
the  sound  of  the  bell. 

In  August   1744  a  royal  command   came   to   Lecce 


LECCE    UNDER    SPANISH    RULERS  199 

among  other  places  that  each  district  and  township 
must  furnish  a  contingent  of  soldiers  for  militia  regi- 
ments. The  city  supplied  sixty-six,  whose  names 
were  determined  by  lot  in  the  house  of  Angelantonio 
Paladini,  who  was  mayor  from  1742-5.  The  King 
chose  the  Prince  of  Acquaviva  as  colonel,  and  among 
the  four  heads  of  battalions  Benedetto  Cicala  and 
Gaetano  Tafuri  of  Lecce.  The  Mayor  ordered  that 
before  marching  out  of  the  city  the  soldiers  should 
file  past  under  his  palace  windows,  but  Acquaviva 
objected  to  this,  and  said  so.  Paladini  was  much 
annoyed  and  challenged  the  Colonel  to  a  duel.  He 
was  neither  sparing  nor  discriminating  in  his  language, 
and  kindly  offered  "to  show  him  the  stuff  their  Lord- 
ships the  Mayors  of  Lecce  were  made  of."  Various 
influential  folk  intervening,  this  ridiculous  quarrel 
was  smoothed  down,  and  Acquaviva  agreed  to  his 
men  marching  past  the  mayoral  windows.  "  So  har- 
mony reigned  again,  and  the  city  resumed  its  wonted 
decorum."  The  Colonel  proceeded  to  Naples  and 
there  told  the  story  with  much  gusto,  so  that  it  became 
preserved  for  posterity.  De  Simone  remarks  that  it 
goes  to  confirm  the  old  saying  that  the  Acquaviva  and 
Paladini  families  make  bad  neighbours  : 

Acquavivi  e  Paladini  son  tra  loro  mal  vicini. 

The  Accademia  degli  Spioni,  which  had  borne  so 
responsible  a  share  in  the  revolutionary  movement  at 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  suffered  so  heavily 
by  the  arrest  of  its  principal  members,  gradually 
dwindled  till  it  ceased  to  exist  about  1750.  The 
citizens  then  realised  the  need  of  something  to  re- 
place it,  and  founded  another  institution — the  Ac- 
cademia degli  Speculatori — based  on  the  ruins  of  the 


200 


IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 


old.  The  rules  were  approved  by  the  royal  authorities, 
and  on  September  30th,  1775,  Ferdinand  IV.  granted 
the  Academy  permission  to  bear  the  Golden  Lily  on 
its  arms.^ 

During  the  period  now  under  discussion — from 
1700  to  1799 — there  was  a  change  of  dynasty  in  the 
government  which  controlled  Lecce.  At  the  Peace 
of  Utrecht  Philip  V.  of  Bourbon,  King  of  Spain  and 
Naples,  in  1713  ceded  both  Naples  and  Sicily  to  the 
house  of  Habsburg,  but  after  prolonged  conflicts  they 
reverted  to  his  son  Charles  in  1734,  under  the  style 
of  "  Kingdom  of  the  Two  Sicilies."  Charles  III.  reigned 
for  twenty-five  years,  and  was  succeeded  in  1759  by 
Ferdinand  IV.,  whose  long  reign — broken  by  the  1799 
insurrection  and  by  Napoleon's  supremacy  between 
1806  and  1815 — actually  lasted  till  1825.  With  the  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century  we  enter  on  a  new  era  for 
every  city  in  Italy,  the  era  in  which  the  chains  of 
foreign  despotism  were  slowly  and  painfully  worked 
off  after  long  years  of  servitude  which  had  become 
habit. 

'  The  Jews,  whom  we  have  already  met  in  Lecce  (p.  154),  were 
finally  driven  out  of  the  city  by  Charles  III.  in  1749,  and  never  again 
appeared  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples. 


CHAPTER  VII 

REVOLUTIONARY  LECCE 

( 1 799—  1 866) 

It  has  become  customary  in  writing  the  individual 
histories  of  ItaHan  towns  to  breal<  off  the  story  at 
the  close  of  the  Middle  Ages,  as  though  the  Later 
Renaissance  were  of  no  account  and  Garibaldi 
had  never  existed.  The  reason  is  probably  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  this  date  closed  the  most 
interesting  part  of  their  record,  when  art  and  litera- 
ture were  developing  side  by  side  with  the  demo- 
cratic spirit  of  turbulent  little  States  perpetually  at 
war.  An  Englishman  in  Italy  feels  that  he  is  tread- 
ing on  ancient  ground,  forgetting  that  his  own 
cities  of  London,  York,  Canterbury,  Chester  are  each 
as  old  as  these  places  he  visits  abroad.  Rome,  of 
course,  is  unique,  and  so  is  Pompeii,  but  for  the 
most  part  the  memorials  of  the  Middle  Ages  and 
Renaissance  in  Italian  cities  are  in  no  way  superior 
to  ours  in  England  during  the  same  period.  Yet 
who  would  leave  English  history  in  Elizabeth's  time  ? 
In  Italy,  it  is  true,  the  vigorous  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence or  supremacy  from  the  thirteenth  to  the 
sixteenth  centuries  is  far  more  productive  of  interest 


202  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

and  result  than  the  long  period  following,  when 
Austria  or  Spain  ruled  with  a  heavy  hand ;  when 
intriguing  popes  vied  with  scandalous  queens  in 
wire-pulling,  and  when,  in  so  many  places,  art  was 
at  a  standstill. 

In  Lecce  the  period  of  greatest  prosperity  and 
of  greatest  success  in  sculpture  and  architecture 
came  just  at  the  time  when  our  own  Wren  was 
building  St.  Paul's  and  Hampton  Court,  and  all 
the  brilliant  prospect  of  the  great  galaxy  of  Eng- 
lish painters  and  writers  was  coming  into  view, 
but  when  Lecce  itself  owned  the  sway  of  an  alien 
sovereign. 

There  is  another  reason  for  continuing  our  story 
into  modern  times.  In  all  the  glorious  annals  of  so 
ancient  a  land,  stretching  far  back  into  the  dim  realms 
of  mythology,  there  is  nothing  so  glorious  as  the 
story  of  Italy's  long  struggle  for  independence.  The 
account  of  Garibaldi's  defence  of  Rome  and  his  escape 
with  his  dying  wife  to  the  lonely  hut  in  the  Ravennese 
marshes,  with  thousands  of  Austrian  whitecoats  in  hot 
pursuit,  is  more  inspiring  than  any  tale  of  Horatius  or 
any  anecdote  of  Cellini.  The  patriotism  which  every 
visitor  feels  in  the  atmosphere  of  any  Italian  city 
to-day  attracts  him  to  a  race  which,  though  boasting 
a  history  more  splendid  than  any  country  in  Europe, 
has  only  in  our  day  created  a  united  kingdom  by 
efforts  as  heroic  as  any  deeds  of  knightly  valour  in 
the  Middle  Ages. 

Each  town  treasures  up  the  names  of  its  patriots 
and  martyrs  who  gave  up  their  lives  for  the  cause, 
calls  its  streets  and  squares  by  their  names,  raises 
their  statues  in  every  prominent  spot. 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  20- 


(1799) 

The  general  upheaval  of  Europe  which  followed  the 
French  Revolution  soon  made  itself  felt  in  Southern 
Italy.      A    native   of  Lecce   was   destined   to   play   a 
prominent  part  in  the  outburst  of  1799.     Born  in  the 
city,  of  Gerolamo  baron  of  Galugnano  and  Antonella 
Capece,  Oronzo  Massa  decided  early  for  the  military 
profession,    and    became   a    lieutenant    of  artillery   in 
1780.     He   was    promoted    to   a   captain's    rank,  after 
travelling  in  Germany  and  France  studying  the  latest 
methods  of  his  profession,  but  left  the  service  in  1795. 
He  then  married  Serafina  Vargas-Macciucca,  by  whom 
he   had  two    boys.      After  three    years   of    domestic 
worries  he  returned  to  arms  in  1798,  became  Adjutant- 
General,  and  was  then  chosen  General  in  the   army 
of  the  Parthenopean  Republic.       To  understand   the 
position  of  Massa  it  is  necessary  to  recall  the  state 
of  Naples  in  1799,  when  the  Republic  was  proclaimed. 
The  city  and  kingdom  were  in  a  condition  of  unrest 
long  before  this,  and  the  younger  patriots  had  suffered 
heavy  penalties  from   Ferdinand — or  rather  from  his 
queen,  a  much  more  important    personage.      Every- 
thing was  ripe  for  revolution.     The  Court  was  corrupt 
and  immoral,  government  was  carried   on    by  means 
of  unlimited  espionage,  the  impoverished  clergy  and 
monastic  orders  swarmed  in  every  town  and  hamlet. 
While  youthful  enthusiasts   were   wildly   supporting 
the    new  regime    in    France,    Queen    Maria   Carolina 
was    doing    her    best    to    bring    about  war  with  that 
country,   incited    by   the    beautiful    Lady    Hamilton, 
whose   husband  was    English   Ambassador.     At   this 
point  Nelson  arrived  in  the  Bay  fresh  from  Aboukir, 


204  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

was  feted  till  his  head  swam,  absorbed  the  opinions 
which  were  poured  into   his   ear,  and   so   hostilities 
commenced.     The  wretched  army  marched  on  Rome 
and  was  repulsed,   while  the  Court  fled  to  Palermo. 
On   came   the  French  to  Naples,  and  at  their  entry, 
in  January    1799,  the  Neapolitan  Republic   was  pro- 
claimed.     But  its  life  was  short.     Between  the  few 
choice  spirits  at  the  head  of  affairs  and  the  ignorant 
populace,  on  whose  sympathy  their  success  depended, 
lay   an   unbridgable   gulf.     Carafa   and  other  leaders 
were  too  humane  and  lenient ;    French  support  also 
was  gradually  withdrawn.      The  "  Santa  Fede  "  was 
formed  in  opposition  to  Jacobin  ideas,  and  as  it  grew 
in  power  royalist  spirits  rose.     In  the  middle  of  June 
Naples  was  recaptured  and  sacked  by  the   Bourbon 
forces,  though  the  Republicans  still  held  the  castles. 
General  Massa  was  commanding  in  Castel  Nuovo,  and 
on  the   17th  asked  for  an  armistice  to  discuss  terms. 
By  this  time  it  had  become  evident  to  the  French  party 
that    capitulation    was    inevitable,    and    terms    were 
agreed  on  the  morning  of  the  19th.     Micheroux  and 
Ruffo  seem  to  have  drawn  up  the  terms  ;  Mejean  at 
St.  Elmo  and  Massa  at  Castel  Nuovo  were  on  the  other 
side.     Captain  Foote  finally  agreed  to   them   on  the 
23rd.     The  document  may  be  found  in  Lord  Nelson's 
dispatches.^        The    most    important    clause    is    that 
promising   a   choice   of  safe-conduct  for  the  garrison 
with  their  property  to  Toulon  or  of  remaining  un- 
molested in  the  city.      The  vessels  for  transporting 
the  patriots  were  ready,  they  were  arranging  the  last 
details  of   business  before  their  departure,  when  on 

'  "The  Dispatches  and  Letters  of  Vice-Admiral  Lord  Viscount 
Nelson,  with  Notes  by  Sir  N.  H.  Nicolas,  G.C.M.G."  London:  Henry 
Colburn,  1848. 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  205 

the  following  evening  the  white  sails  of  Nelson's  fleet 
appeared  off  the  point  of  Posilipo.  A  boat  left  the 
Foudroyant  with  a  message  for  Cardinal  Rufifo  from 
Hamilton,  who  was  on  board  with  his  wife,  in  which 
Nelson  said  that  he  had  just  received  a  copy  of  the 
capitulation  and  entirely  disapproved  of  it.  That 
very  evening  Ruffo — who  was  sick  to  death  of  fighting 
and  honestly  desired  peace — went  on  board  to  discuss 
the  question  with  Nelson  and  the  Hamiltons.  "  Kings 
don't  treat  with  their  subjects,"  said  Hamilton,  and 
Nelson  agreed.  All  Ruffo's  argument  was  in  vain. 
Nelson  hated  the  French  with  an  incredible  hatred  ; 
he  was  already  a  mere  tool  in  Lady  Hamilton's  clever 
hands.  Ruffo  returned  to  parley  with  his  allies — 
Micheroux,  the  Russian  and  Turkish  commanders. 
They  were  indignant  at  any  suggestion  of  violating 
a  treaty  already  signed  by  them  so  satisfactorily  and 
ratified  by  Foote  on  behalf  of  England.  Ruffo  wrote 
to  the  Republicans,  warning  them  of  Nelson's  state  of 
mind,  and  Massa  replied  : 

"  We  have  given  your  letter  that  interpretation 
which  it  deserved.  Staunch,  however,  to  our  duty, 
we  shall  religiously  observe  the  articles  of  the  treaty, 
persuaded  that  a  similar  obligation  must  bind  all  the 
parties  who  have  solemnly  intervened  to  contract  it. 
For  the  rest  we  shall  not  allow  ourselves  to  be  either 
surprised  or  intimidated,  and  we  shall  resume  a 
hostile  attitude  if  it  happens  that  you  drive  us  by  force 
so  to  do.  Meanwhile,  as  our  capitulation  was  dictated 
by  the  Commandant  of  St.  Elmo,  you  will  be  so  good 
as  to  arrange  at  once  an  escort  to  accompany  our 
envoy  to  that  fortress,  to  consult  with  the  French 
commandant  and  give  you  eventually  a  more  precise 
reply." 


2o6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Nelson's  own  "  Declaration  "  to  the  rebels  in  the 
two  castles  had  been  as  follows  :  | 

"  Rear-Admiral  Lord  Nelson,  K.B.,  Commander  of 
His  Britannic  Majesty's  Fleet  in  the  Bay  of  Naples, 
acquaints  the  rebellious  subjects  of  his  Sicilian  Majesty 
in  the  Castles  of  Uovo  and  Nuovo  that  he  will  not 
permit  them  to  embark  or  quit  those  places.  They 
must  surrender  themselves  to  His  Majesty's  royal 
mercy." 

A  recent  writer,  whom  I  have  found  very  useful  in 
regard  to  these  matters,  says : 

"  The  question,  as  yet  unsolved,  is  here.  Who  played 
the  trick  which  resulted  in  the  evacuation  of  the 
castles?  And  of  the  chief  actors — Nelson,  the  Hamil- 
tons,  Ruffo,  and  Micheroux — how  many  were  privy  to 
the  cheat  ?  "  ' 

Nelson's  view,  given  in  great  detail  by  this  writer, 
seems  to  have  been  that  the  treaty  was  invalid,  seeing 
that  Ruffo  had,  in  his  opinion,  no  authority  to  sign  it 
on  behalf  of  the  Sicilian  sovereigns.  Weighing  all  the 
facts,  however,  it  does  not  seem  in  any  way  doubtful 
that  by  yielding  so  absolutely  to  Lady  Hamilton's 
whims  Nelson  was  guilty  of  an  act  which  clouds  the 
memory  of  so  great  a  hero.  It  was  only  a  few  weeks 
before  Massa  and  the  other  generals  were  condemned 
to  death  practically  without  trial.  An  hour  and  a  half 
only  was  allowed  them  to  prepare  for  death,  and 
when  Massa  was  led  out  on  to  the  terrace  of  the 
Carmine  as  the  sun  was  sinking  on  August  14th,  he 

'  "  Naples  in  1799— An  Account  of  the  Revolution  of  1799,  and  of  the 
Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Parthenopean  Repubhc,"  by  Constance  H.  D. 
Giglioli.     London  :  John  Murray,  1903. 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  207 

said  to  the  executioner  in  bitter  irony — "  Make 
haste,  for  I  have  no  time  to  lose."  So  died  one 
of  Lecce's  bravest  sons,  leader  of  a  forlorn  hope 
and  a  victim  of  English  treachery.  In  the  interval 
between  arrest  and  death  he  is  reported  to  have 
stated  that  he  had  been  deceived  in  making  his  capi- 
tulation, that  he  had  trusted  in  the  honour  of  five 
great  Powers,  and  that  he  deplored  the  responsibility 
which  he  could  not  deny.  "  I,"  said  he,  "  had  powder, 
cannon-balls,  cannon,  men  were  not  lacking — who 
was  to  prevent  my  holding  out  in  the  Castle  ?  At  the 
worst  I  could  have  left  this  world  by  blowing  up  the 
Castle,  but  I  should  not  have  died  condemned  as  a 
Jacobin."^ 

A  fact  of  interest  is  that  Massa  was  reputed  to  be 
one  of  the  finest  swordsmen  of  his  day. 

During  these  events  in  Naples  Lecce  had  not  been 
by  any  means  tranquil.  Whether  it  was  through 
sympathy  with  Massa,  or  whether  it  was  simply  the 
hot  blood  of  her  people  always  ready  to  join  in 
revolution  and  turmoil  as  they  had  done  in  Masaniello's 
rebellion,  whether  it  was  really  a  nascent  love  of 
liberty  for  its  own  sake — the  city  had  espoused  the 
cause   of    the   Parthenopean   Republic. 

**  On  February  9th  of  this  year,"  writes  Mrs.  Ross, 
"  a  Tree  of  Liberty  was  planted  in  the  Piazza  S. 
Oronzo.  On  one  branch  hung  the  Phrygian  cap,  on 
another  a  yellow,  red,  and  blue  flag ;  but  it  was  torn 

'  De  Nicola,  "  Compendio,"  p.  456,  quoted  by  Giglioli,  pp.  346-7.  The 
best  Life  of  General  Massa  is  by  General  Mariano  d'  Ayala — 

"  Vite  degli  Italiani  Benemoriti  della  Liberia  e  della  Patria,  uccisi  del 
Carnefici."     Torino,  Fratelli  Bocca,  1883. 

See  also  Giglioli  as  before,  and  works  by  Rossarol,  Colletta,  Vannucci, 
Ricciardi,  Perrone,  and  Dumas. 


2o8  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

down  within  twenty-four  hours  by  an  infuriated  mob, 
hounded  on  by  the  priests,  who  declared  the  Saint 
was  so  offended  by  the  sight  of  the  accursed  tree  that 
he  had  turned  his  head  in  the  contrary  direction,  and 
lifted  up  one  foot  with  the  intention  of  walking  down 
off  his  column." 

It  was  then  invaded  by  a  rabble  of  adventurers 
under  the  leadership  of  Bonafede  Gerunda,  a  bailiff 
from  the  Taranto  neighbourhood.  De  Cesari,  another 
pirate-general,  joined  in  the  reaction  in  Apulia 
against  the  Republic,  and  helped  in  the  lawless  work 
of  punishing  its  adherents. 

When  France  regained  her  supremacy  in  1804, 
thanks  to  Napoleon's  wonderful  victories,  the  King  of 
Naples  was  forced  by  the  Treaty  of  Florence  to 
allow  four  thousand  French  to  be  stationed  in  the 
Abruzzi  and  twelve  thousand  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto 
up  to  the  River  Bradanus,  this  last  division  under 
the  command  of  Marshal  Soult.  These  sixteen 
thousand  men  were  stationed  in  the  province  to  watch 
the  movements  of  the  English  troops,  and  afterwards 
marched  to  occupy  the  whole  kingdom  of  Naples.^ 


(1799— 1821) 

In  January  1806  the  Bourbons  were  driven  out  of 
the  kingdom  and  Napoleon  created  his  brother 
Joseph  king,  to  be  succeeded  two  years  later  by  his 
brother-in-law  Joachim  Murat.  It  is  interesting  to 
picture  the  condition  of  the  district  at  the  time.  The 
feudal    system    established   by   the   Normans   nearly 

'  For  Napoleon's  creation  of  the  title  "Duke  ot  Otranto"  in  1810 
see  p.  325. 


^ 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  209 

eight  hundred  years  before  was  still  the  curse  of  the 
country — feudalism  of  the  same  type  as  that  which 
was  the  prime  cause  of  the  French  Revolution.  It 
is  difficult  to  realise  that  a  civilised  European 
country  could  be  in  such  a  plight  only  a  century 
ago. 

Yet  facts  are  indisputable,  and  may  be  read  not 
only  in  histories — which  in  themselves  lend  a  tinge 
of  antiquity  to  an  event— but  in  newspapers  which 
our  grandfathers  might  have  read  at  the  time  had 
they  wished.  Naples  perhaps,  even  then  a  large  and 
flourishing  city,  was  to  some  extent  a  law  unto  itself. 
There  a  democratic  party  may  have  struggled  albeit 
in  vain. 

But  in  the  fertile  plains  round  Lecce  and  Taranto, 
all  through  the  Calabrian  mountains  with  their  oak- 
girt  villages,  and  on  the  bare  hill-sides  of  Potenza, 
from  every  side  came  the  same  tale  of  oppression  and 
degradation.  One  of  the  most  unhappy  aspects  of 
the  case  was  the  position  of  the  Church  and  her 
clergy.  Trustworthy  records  tell  us  that  a  hundred 
thousand  monks,  nuns,  and  priests  ministered  to  her 
spiritual  needs  in  the  kingdom.  The  proportion 
which  this  figure  bears  to  the  total  population  *  is 
almost  incredible,  and  sets  one  inquiring  what  reward 
it  was — spiritual  or  temporal — which  brought  so  many 
volunteers  to  the  sacred  call.  It  was  the  same  in- 
ducement which  fills  modern  society  with  professional 
men  from  industrial  homes,  workmen's  or  shopkeepers' 
sons,  who  aspire  perhaps  beyond  their  powers,  and 
prefer  to  starve  with  a  brass-plate  on  their  doorway 
than  to  wax  fat  behind  a  bench  or  a  counter.  The 
same  ambition  led  them  on,  for  they  knew  that  the 

'  One  in  fifty. 

14 


210  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

very  Papal  Throne  lay  open  to  him  who  had  the 
ability  to  climb  the  toilsome  way  that  led  there. 

So  they  set  out  on  a  clerical  career,  moved  in  some 
cases  by  this  devouring  ambition,  in  others  by  the 
certain  knowledge  that  blind  superstition  would  feed 
them  and  clothe  them  in  a  cassock.  Ignorant  they 
might  be  themselves,  wretchedly  poor  they  stood  to 
be  in  any  case  ;  yet  their  work  was  casual  and  far 
from  arduous  ;  they  were  spared  the  worry  of  possible 
unemployment,  and  perhaps  the  still  more  irksome 
toil  of  the  trivial  round  and  common  task  which 
formed  a  peasant's  life. 

Allied  with  the  forces  of  religion  by  a  strange 
custom  were  the  armies  of  beggars  who  swarmed 
in  Naples  and  even  in  the  country  districts,  A  dole 
of  bread,  which  from  the  Imperial  hands  had  passed 
into  those  of  the  priests,  ensured  a  few  followers  to 
every  tonsured  head,  and  provided  a  mass  of  opinion 
in  their  support  which  on  occasion  might  be  produced 
as  an  evidence  of  the  people's  love  of  Mother  Church 
or  vice  versa. 

With  religion  at  its  lowest  depth,  and  poverty  in 
its  most  hideous  form,  was  allied  the  appalling  ignor- 
ance not  only  of  the  artisan  classes,  but  actually  of 
the  noble  families  of  the  kingdom.  Scions  of  ancient 
houses  did  not  scruple  to  confess  that  they  could 
neither  read  nor  write.  From  the  large  amount  of 
good  literary  work  produced  in  Lecce  during  the 
three  previous  centuries  we  may  safely  assume  that 
this  lack  of  culture  was  not  the  rule  within  its  walls ; 
and  what  is  known  of  its  academies  goes  to  bear  out 
this  view.  Lecce  suffered  as  much  as  any  place  from 
marauding  invaders,  yet  always  kept  up  a  high  tradi- 
tional standard  of  art  and  literature.     In  less  enlight- 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  211 

ened  cities,  in  Naples  itself,  and  in  tlie  myriad  starving 
iiamlets  of  Calabria  and  the  mountainous  provinces, 
ignorance  held  the  field.  This  is  particularly  appar- 
ent in  some  of  the  miracles  which  were  seriously 
and  frequently  performed  by  the  clergy  before  a 
credulous  audience — miracles  so  manifestly  artificial 
that  no  intelligent  believer  could  have  swallowed 
them. 

The  worst  aspect  of  feudalism  was  its  power  of 
privilege  and  taxation,  exercised  not  so  much  by  or 
for  the  barons  themselves  as  by  the  rapacious  agents 
and  lawyers  who  made  exaction  their  livelihood. 
What  the  word  taxation  meant  a  hundred  years  ago 
in  Southern  Italy  may  be  gathered  from  these 
examples : 

Mills  and  ovens  were  so  heavily  taxed  that  bread 
became  an  impossible  luxury — even  macaroni  was 
not  free;  and  in  1809  forty-eight  villages  petitioned 
the  Feudal  Commission  for  permission  to  collect 
acorns. 

"  There  was  a  tithe  on  hens,  a  tax  for  keeping 
them  within  doors,  a  tax  for  selling  them,  for  killing 
them,  on  their  eggs ;  in  some  baronies  it  was  for- 
bidden to  dispose  of  them ;  in  another  the  right  of 
taking  as  many  of  them  as  the  Baron  required  was 
asserted. 

"  On  fish  there  were  some  thirty  diff"erent  taxes — 
about  ten  more  than  on  mills.  No  article  of  food 
escaped  seigneurial  rapacity. 

"Chestnuts  were  taxed;  so  were  melons,  wine, 
grapes,  figs,  honey,  cheese,  nuts,  and  grass.  On  every 
animal  alive,  on  every  animal  sold,  on  every  animal 
taken  to  water,  on  every  animal's  increase,  the  Baron 
claimed  his  due. 

"  Fuel  was  taxed  as  thoroughly  as  food  :  hearths  paid 


212  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

toll,  while  even  pine  canes  and  dead  leaves  did  not 
escape  exaction. 

"  Rain-water,  perhaps  owing  to  its  proceeding,  like 
the  Baron's  right,  from  heaven,  was  his  exclusive 
property. 

"  The  Baron  had  an  exclusive  right  to  snow,  to  the 
dung  dropped  in  the  market-place ;  on  every  sale  at 
a  fair  he  levied  a  percentage  ;  every  ladder,  every  tree, 
every  balcony,  every  wall,  every  garden,  was  made 
a  source  of  income. 

"  At  Tufara  the  peasant  was  made  to  pay  for  the 
notable  privilege  of  throwing  the  'immondezze'  of 
the  household  out  of  his  windows  into  the  street, 
while  at  Conversano  the  cause  of  sanitation  was  dis- 
similarly advanced  by  the  Baron,  who  exacted  payment 
for  the  privilege  of  constructing  a  drain." 

There  were,  besides  taxes,  other  burdens  to  be 
borne,  notably  that  of  personal  service,  though  it  is 
a  rehef  to  add  that  the  infamous  right  of  "  cunnatico  " 
had  been  commuted  to  a  money  payment. 

Against  feudal  oppression  in  early  days  the  Uni- 
versita  or  town  council,  presided  over  by  the  Syndic, 
had  been  the  people's  bulwark,  but  gradually  one 
after  another  fell  under  baronial  hands,  until  in  1786 
out  of  some  2,000  Universita  384  belonged  to  the 
Crown,  the  rest  to  the  Barons. 

The  administration  of  the  country's  finance  was  no 
better  than  might  have  been  expected  from  what 
has  gone  before.  Of  the  total  revenues  one  quarter 
went  to  the  Church,  and  another  quarter  to  the 
nobles,  whose  share  in  paying  the  State's  expenses 
was  practically  negligible. 

To  these  manifold  abuses  may  be  added  the  scourge 
of  brigandage.  Brigands  naturally  flourished  in  a 
district   where   roads   were    practically    non-existent, 


14.       CORTILE   OF    THE    PREFETTURA,    LECCE 
(By  permission  of  The  Architectural  Revieiv) 


p.  212] 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  213 

where  feudalism  had  checked  commerce  and  muni- 
cipal activity,  and  where  the  forces  of  law  were 
powerless.  With  another  quotation  I  will  conclude 
this  sketch  of  Southern  Italy  a  century  ago. 

"  Robbery  by  force  of  arms  had  become  an  all- 
engrossing,  all  but  honoured  avocation.  It  was  the 
only  lucrative  one  open  to  the  man  of  enterprise, 
save  only  the  Law  and  the  Church.  In  all  three  an 
equal  lack  of  conscience  was  essential  for  success, 
but  brigandage  called  for  one  manly  virtue,  courage ; 
the  other  two  professions  did  not.  It  will  there- 
fore hardly  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  it 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  best  element  in  the 
population." 

The  Napoleonic  era  in  Lecce  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  particularly  eventful.  In  1808  the  city 
was  visited  by  Joseph  Bonaparte,  and  in  18 10  by 
his  successor,  Joachim  Murat,  who  stayed  in  the 
Marquis  Palmieri's  palace. 

The  dissolution  of  the  monasteries,  however,  had 
a  considerable  effect  on  Lecce,  owing  to  the  number 
and  importance  of  the  monastic  establishments  there. 
For  instance,  the  monks  of  Santa  Croce  were  ex- 
pelled from  their  home  after  occupying  it  for  three 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  years,  and  by  a  decree  of 
November  28th,  181 1,  the  buildings  were  granted  to 
the  city  for  a  "  Sede  dell'  Intendenza."  Many  of  the 
buildings  required  remodelling  for  their  new  pur- 
pose, and  in  this  case  plans  were  submitted  to  Queen 
Caroline  in  18 14  showing  the  proposed  alterations. 
Ferdinand  had  a  pretty  taste  himself  for  country- 
house  building  when  not  engaged  in  fishing  and 
similar   kingly   sports,  but   anything  connected  with 


214  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

State  cares  was  gladly  left  to  his  wife.  The  present 
fagade  of  the  Prefettura  looking  towards  the  San 
Cataldo  road  was  approved  on  plans  dated   1817. 

Certain  changes  were  also  made  in  the  educational 
arrangements  of  the  city,  and  a  college  dedicated 
to  St.  Joseph  was  founded. 

Some  trouble  arose  out  of  the  establishment  of 
the  semaphore  on  the  tower  of  the  Church  of  Santa 
Irene.  The  Teatini  clergy,  whose  house  adjoined 
the  tower,  complained  that  they  were  annoyed  by 
the  constant  passing  to  and  fro  of  employees  and 
others.  In  the  end  the  French  authorities  made  a 
new  staircase  with  direct  access  on  to  the  Via  Regina 
Isabella.  A  quaint  inscription  was  placed  on  the 
new  staircase  : 

"  Ut  Clericorum  Regularium  quieti  prospiceretur. 
Opus  hoc  a  fundam.  Magnifice  extructum.  Anno 
Reparatae  Salutis,  1832.  E  vietato  I'ingresso  alle 
donne  sotto  pena  di  Scomunica  per  decreto  di  Mons. 
Vescovo,  fatto  in  Santa  Visita." 

This,  however,  was  not  the  end  of  the  matter,  and 
the  clerics  at  last  succeeded  in  arranging  for  trans- 
ferring the  semaphore  thence  to  the  tower  of  the 
Carmine  Nuovo  Church  in  1843,  where  it  remained 
till  1 86 1  or  1862.  Meanwhile  the  electric  telegraph 
wire  reached  Lecce  in  1858,  and  superseded  the  more 
antiquated  system. 

After  Napoleon's  fall  in  181 5,  and  the  restoration 
of  the  Bourbons  at  Naples,  there  was  a  well-defined 
movement  towards  Liberalism  and  Constitutionalism 
in  Southern  Italy.  On  the  one  hand  were  the  great 
and  rapidly  increasing  societies  of  Carbonari,  ab- 
horred by  Ferdinand,  and  already  anathematised  by 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  215 

the  Pope  ;  on  the  other  the  newer  bands  of  Calderari 
founded  by  the  Prince  of  Canosa  from  the  scum  of 
Naples.  When,  however,  this  rabble  was  armed 
with  twenty  thousand  Government  muskets  even  a 
Bourbon  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  Ferdinand 
at  last  interfered.  The  system  of  government  which 
Murat  had  bequeathed  him  was  a  great  improvement 
on  that  of  pre-Napoleonic  times ;  but  the  French 
army  which  had  supplied  the  element  of  force  was 
now  disbanded,  released  prisoners  swarmed  on  all 
sides,  and  a  large  corps  of  Austrian  soldiers  re- 
mained in  the  kingdom.  From  every  quarter  came 
the  complaints  of  dissatisfied  feudal  owners,  who  had 
lost  their  properties  under  the  previous  regime,  and 
now  claimed  them  again  as  their  right.  The  creations 
of  Joseph  and  Joachim,  who  had  dispossessed  them, 
also  held  their  ground,  and  on  Ferdinand  displaying 
an  inclination  to  sequestrate  some  of  these  grants 
he  was  sharply  pulled  up  by  Metternich  the  Austrian, 
who  was  almost  as  powerful  at  Naples  as  at  Vienna. 
The  Austrians  stayed  in  Naples  till  1817,  and  on 
their  departure  twenty-one  regiments  of  provincial 
militia  were  levied.  Up  to  this  time  the  Bourbon 
restoration  had  been  quietly  accomplished,  but  signs 
were  becoming  apparent  of  that  spirit  of  revolution 
which  was  to  burst  into  flame  three  years  later. 
Ferdinand  was  to  be  rudely  warned  that  his  subjects 
had  no  intention  of  acquiescing  in  a  retrograde  policy, 
such  as  they  had  borne  in  his  earlier  reign.  The 
first  symptoms  came  from  the  usually  harmless  pro- 
vinces of  the  Adriatic  seaboard.  In  Apulia  matters 
were  worse  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  kingdom. 
Crowds  of  soldiers  disbanded  after  Tolentino  re- 
turned to  their  normal  occupation  of  brigandage,  and 


2i6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

from  every  corner  of  the  district  reports  came  pouring 
in  to  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  of  a  rising  tide  of 
robbery  and  violence.  Every  sort  of  malefactor 
flourished  as  the  green  bay-tree,  from  the  ordinary 
barndoor  purse-snatcher  to  the  arch-scoundrels  of 
such  a  character  as  Annichiarico,  the  Lecce  priest, 
worst  of  them  all. 

Instances  of  many  atrocities  are  recorded,  but  in 
Apulia  things  had  become  so  serious  that  the  very 
existence  of  the  Government  was  threatened,  and  a 
strong  hand  was  needed  to  deal  firmly  and  quickly 
with  the  disease  at  its  root.  Englishmen  had  for 
some  time  occupied  many  of  the  most  responsible 
positions  as  Ferdinand's  advisers,  Acton  being  a  note- 
worthy example,  if  not  a  creditable  one,  and  for  this 
new  undertaking  General  Church  was  selected,  an 
officer  particularly  well  suited  for  the  work.  He  had 
served  for  some  years  in  Southern  Italy,  under  Stuart 
at  Maida,  with  the  Corsican  Rangers  under  Lowe 
when  Lamarque  took  Capri,  on  Bianchi's  staff  at 
Tolentino,  and  since  as  a  Major-General  in  the 
Neapolitan  service.  He  understood  the  people 
perfectly  and  proved  thoroughly  worthy  of  the 
trust  Ferdinand  had  reposed  in  him.  He  was  given 
full  power  to  make  any  use  of  the  royal  authority 
he  might  find  necessary  for  maintaining  order  in 
Apulia. 

The  most  dangerous  feature  of  the  disaffection  in  this 
province  lay  in  the  hold  which  brigandage  and  crime 
had  taken  of  the  secret  societies.  Before  Murat's  death 
there  were  already  two  large  associations  in  existence 
in  Apulia — the  Filadelfi  and  the  Patriotti  Europei. 
The  latter  was  founded  in  1814,  the  former  perhaps 
a  little  later.     Both  had  a  military  organisation,  were 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  217 

said  to  be  affiliated  to  a  society  known  as  tJie  "  Grande 
Repubblica  Europea "  (which  had  its  headquarters  in 
Paris),  and  borrowed  their  rites  from  Northern  Italy. 
When  Canosa  opened  his  counter-attraction  in  the 
shape  of  the  Calderari,  these  societies  naturally  be- 
came alarmed  and  augmented  their  ranks  by  admitting 
all  sorts  of  men,  with  disastrous  effects  on  the  tone 
of  the  organisations.  Towards  the  close  of  1816  both 
societies  embarked  on  a  policy  of  levying  money 
contributions,  enforcing  their  demands  by  terrorism. 
Fear  now  induced  many  members  to  join,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1817  their  numbers  had  risen  to  thirty 
or  forty  thousand.  In  October  of  that  year  a  still 
more  violent  brotherhood  sprang  up  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Giro  Annichiarico,  the  Decisi.  Annichiarico 
was  a  priest  and  leader  of  the  "  masse"  in  1799.  He 
had  been  four  years  imprisoned  for  murder  at  Lecce, 
and  on  his  release  had  taken  to  a  career  of  crime. 
When  questioned  during  his  trial  as  to  how  many 
lives  he  had  taken  he  characteristically  answered  : 
"  E  chi  lo  sa  ?  Saranno  tra  sessanta  settanta."  (Who 
can  tell  ?     Some  sixty  or  seventy.) 

Since  181 5  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  "  Patriotti 
Europei,"  but  when  he  founded  the  Decisi  in  18 17 
his  unrivalled  experience  of  seventeen  years  of  crime 
at  once  attracted  a  large  and  congenial  following,  and 
by  the  next  spring  twenty  thousand  followers  were 
enrolled.  The  ceremonies  may  best  be  described  as 
"  perverted  carbonarism  of  a  crudely  criminal  variety." 
Their  officials  included,  with  suggestive  gruesomeness, 
a  registrar  of  deaths  and  a  director  of  funerals,  while 
their  diplomas  were  profusely  decorated  with  skulls 
and  crossbones,  bearing  at  the  four  corners  the  lugu- 
brious   but    appropriate   words :    "  Tristezza,    Morte, 


2i8  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Terrore,  Lutto "  (Sorrow,  death,  terror,  and  mourn- 
ing). This  strange  document  called  on  all  members 
of  "  philanthropic"  societies  to  give  assistance  to  the 
bearer,  described  as  "  one  anxious  to  conquer  liberty, 
or  death."  Church  reported  to  his  Government  that 
this  society  was  frightful  and  unparalleled,  its  crimes 
appalling.  The  danger  was  all  the  greater  because 
of  the  political  doctrines  bound  up  in  the  movement, 
and  distress  among  the  people  was  aggravated  by 
famine.  In  Taranto,  Otranto,  Brindisi,  Bari,  and 
Lecce  —  indeed  throughout  the  province  —  terrorism 
was  complete. 

"At  dusk  peaceful  inhabitants  closed  up  their 
houses,  and  while  the  brotherhood  held  their  meetings 
they  were  protected  by  armed  guards  who  patrolled 
the  streets.  Fortunate  it  was  that  among  them  were 
no  men  fitted  to  act  as  leaders,  to  organise  revolution, 
and  to  lift  the  whole  movement  from  a  plane  of 
criminal  to  one  of  political  importance.  In  the  town 
of  Lecce,  where  the  mercurial  temperament  of  the  in- 
habitants and  the  general  revolutionary  mania  were 
at  their  worst,  there  were  not  less  than  twenty-five 
assassinations  per  week.  Every  month  the  list  of 
homicides  grew  to  more  terrible  proportions  and, 
encouraged  by  impunity,  other  crimes  became  equally 
prevalent.  Troops  of  men,  masked  and  disguised 
in  Pulcinella  costume,  wandered  through  the  country 
in  broad  daylight,  thieving,  destroying,  outraging 
women.  The  Governor  of  Lecce  was  fired  at  point- 
blank  as  he  left  the  theatre  one  evening.  Not  only 
was  money  extorted,  but  persons  were  compelled 
under  threats  to  sign  contracts  assigning  away  land 
and  property.  The  clergy  took  a  large  share  in  the 
disorders,  and  when  the  bishopric  of  Lecce  became 
vacant,  two  good  and  honourable  ecclesiastics  of  the 


I 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  219 

province  to  whom   it  was  offered  declined  to  accept 
such  a  responsibility."^ 

It  was  at  this  crisis  that  Church  arrived  in  Apulia. 
His  duty  was  plain  enough.  Till  Annichiarico  was 
captured  there  could  be  no  peace.  The  priest's  in- 
fluence was  rapidly  increasing,  he  was  now  a  political 
revolutionary  on  a  large  scale,  and  he  was  supported 
by  a  large  body  of  unscrupulous  desperadoes.  It  was 
fortunate  for  Church  that  his  force  of  law  and  order 
was  recruited  outside  Naples,  from  Germany  for  the 
most  part.  After  a  period  of  open  warfare  the  Decisi 
were  at  last  broken  up  near  Francavilla  as  a  result 
of  several  engagements.  Annichiarico  was  soon  re- 
duced to  a  few  personal  followers,  and  became  a 
hunted  outlaw.  On  February  8th,  1818,  after  a  single- 
handed  defence  of  some  hours  in  a  stone  barn  he  was 
captured  at  last.  He  was  immediately  conveyed  to 
Francavilla,  tried  by  court-martial,  and  condemned  to 
death. 

"  On  his  way  to  the  public  square,  where  the  execu- 
tion was  to  take  place,  through  a  throng  of  spectators 
and  surrounded  by  a  large  body  of  troops,  he  continu- 
ally turned  to  the  onlookers,  gesticulating  wildly, 
desperately  repeating  all  the  secret  society  signs  in 
his  knowledge,  but  all  in  vain.  If  there  were  Patriotti 
Europei  or  Filadelfi  or  Decisi  present,  they  did  not 
respond  to  the  mute  appeals  of  their  chief.  The 
power  of  the  secret  society  spells  was  for  the  moment 
broken." 

Annichiarico's  execution  was  so  rapidly  followed  up 
that  by  the  end  of  July  Church  had  exposed  some 

'  rrom  "The  Napoleonic  Empire  in  Soiithern  Italy  and  the  Rise  ol 
the  Secret  Societies,"  by  K.  M.  Johnston.  Macmillan,  1904.  This 
quotation  is  from  vol.  ii.,  and  most  of  my  information  for  these  doings 
is  from  this  source. 


220  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

sixty  heads  in  various  centres  of  the  province,  and 
was  able  to  report  to  his  Government  that  the  reign 
of  these  associations  in  Apulia  was  now  over.  He 
asked  the  Ministry  to  proclaim  an  amnesty  as  the 
best  way  of  securing  a  complete  purification,  and 
on  September  20th,  18 18,  this  was  accordingly 
done. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Church  did  completely 
succeed  in  restoring  order  in  Apulia  and  in  stamping 
out  the  three  societies,  but  he  could  not  change  the 
character  of  the  people.  In  spite  of  improved  con- 
ditions the  ingrained  prosperity  remained,  and  less 
than  two  years  later  the  province  once  more  fell  into 
the  hands  of  a  secret  society,  though  not  this  time 
the  ruffians  of  the  Decisi. 

(1821) 

In  the  rising  against  the  Bourbons  in  1 820-1,  in- 
stigated by  the  Carbonari  and  directed  by  General 
Pepe,  Lecce  played  its  part  and  contributed  some 
of  its  citizens  to  political  martyrology.  Ferdinand 
promised  a  Constitution  with  his  hand  on  his  heart, 
swearing  a  tremendous  oath  at  a  Naples  altar.  His 
foolish  subjects  believed  him,  allowing  him  to  visit 
Austria  on  a  friendly  mission,  and  were  rewarded  by 
the  news  of  his  return  with  fifty  thousand  Austrian 
troops.  From  this  date  till  two  years  after  Ferdinand's 
death  in  1844  Frimont's  whitecoats  were  a  scourge  to 
the  kingdom  and  a  menace  to  all  aspirants  for  Italian 
liberty.  How  they  were  hated  in  Venice  is  well 
known  to  all,  and  the  patriotic  city  of  Lecce  loved 
them  no  more  than  did  the  Queen  of  the  Adriatic. 
Ferdinand  had  changed  his  title  of  King  of  Naples 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  221 

and  Sicily  to  that  of  King  of  the  Two  Sicilies.  The 
combination  was  not  a  happy  one,  and  much  of  the 
trouble  of  1821  was  due  to  ill-feeling  between  the  two 
countries.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Francis  I., 
and  after  a  short  reign  of  five  years  Ferdinand  II. 
ascended  the  throne — he  who  bore  the  nickname  of 
"  Bomba "  through  twenty-nine  stormy  years  while 
Italy  was  striving  for  freedom.  His  reign  was  one 
uninterrupted  succession  of  internal  struggles. 

In  Lecce  the  only  event  worth  recording  is  the 
return  of  the  Jesuits,  who,  after  having  been  banished 
from  the  city  for  sixty-five  years,  were  welcomed 
back  there  in  1832.  The  object  was  to  entrust  to 
their  care  the  College  of  San  Giuseppe,  which  had 
been  founded  during  Napoleon's  time  in  the  monastery 
of  the  Olivetani.  For  sixteen  years  they  remained 
in  charge  of  this  institution,  leaving  suddenly  on  the 
night  of  March  7th,  1848,  when  Southern  Italy  was  in 
the  throes  of  another  revolution.  After  a  short  absence 
during  the  time  of  strife  they  again  returned  to  their 
classical  studies,  and  by  a  decree  of  March  1852  it  was 
raised  to  a  Liceo,  and  a  sum  of  ;^5io  was  charged  to 
the  provincial  exchequer  to  buy  a  house  opposite  the 
Church  of  St.  Francis.  Chairs  of  civil  and  criminal  law 
were  established  at  the  same  time,  and  a  few  years 
later  others  of  medicine,  chemistry,  physiology,  and 
anatomy  were  added  to  the  classical  and  literary 
curriculum  already  in  existence.  The  Jesuits  reigned 
supreme  till  i860,  when,  with  the  reappearance  of 
liberty,  they  had  to  take  their  final  departure.  The 
college  was  then  turned  into  a  Liceo  Ginnasiale,  and 
named  after  Giuseppe  Palmieri,  one  of  Lecce's  most 
prominent  sons. 

The  Jesuits  founded  the  "  Accademia  Salentina  "  in 


222  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  city  in  1845  or  1846  on  the  Unes  of  their  other 
Academy  in  Turin. 

"  Bomba "  visited  Lecce  on  at  least  two  occasions, 
in  1844,  when  he  was  lodged  at  the  Prefettura,  and 
in  1859,  when  he  came  with  his  wife,  his  eldest  son 
(who  became  Francis  II.),  and  many  Court  dignitaries. 
Here  he  was  called  upon  by  the  two  Archdukes  of 
Austria,  and  here  too  he  was  attacked  by  the  loath- 
some disease  that  brought  him  to  the  grave.  He 
was  attended  by  two  Lecce  physicians,  Cav.  Raffaele 
d'  Arpe  and  Giuseppe  Leone,  and  the  latter  accom- 
panied the  Court  to  Naples  and  Caserta,  where  he 
remained  with  the  King  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

It  is  superfluous  to  explain  the  reasons  which  caused 
the  revolution  in  Italy  in  1848.  So  much  has  already 
been  said  of  the  abuses  existing  under  the  Bourbon 
government  in  Southern  Italy,  so  often  has  mention 
already  been  made  of  outbreaks  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto, 
and  so  well  is  the  history  of  these  Italian  wars  known 
in  England,  that  it  is  enough  to  print  here  a  bare 
translation  1  have  made  of  the  official  account  rendered 
to  Ferdinand  by  his  minions  when  all  was  over.^ 

(1848) 

"EXTRACT  FROM  A  REPORT  OF  THE  'GRAN 
CORTE  SPECIALE  BELLA  PROVINCIA  DI  TERRA 
D' OTRANTO,'  DECEMBER  2ND,  1850,  ON  THE 
QUESTION  OF  THE  POLITICAL  CRIMINALS  OF 
LECCE,  MANDURIA,  SAVA,  ETC." 
Reported  by  PRES.  GUIS.  COCCHIA.  Printed  at  LECCE  1851. 

"  The  unrestrained  revolutionary  ideas  of  those  who 
hate   the    Royal  authority  are   increasing.     In    Lecce 

'  Quoted  by  de  Simone  in  the  official  Italian,  translated  by  M.  S.  B. 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  223 

there  is  established  a  Communal  Commission,  which 
on  June  29th,  1848,  assembled  in  this  city  the  Deputies 
of  the  Circoli  Circondariali.  But  they,  or  rather  some 
of  them,  in  order  to  go  in  still  more  unbridled  fashion 
on  the  cursed  road  to  anarchy,  wished  to  be  indepen- 
dent of  the  Communal  Commission.  They  then 
announced  this  intention  to  the  public  by  a  printed 
manifesto  declaring  that  they  were  now  unshackled 
from  their  pledged  agreements.  And  then  from  this 
foul  source  on  the  selfsame  day  there  arose  in  Lecce 
yet  another  illicit  and  seditious  association  styling 
itself  the  Circolo  Patriottico  Salentino,  which  was 
formed  from  the  above-mentioned  representatives  of 
the  Circoli,  who  next  proceeded  to  elect  their  leaders. 
For  president  they  chose  the  absent  D.  Bonaventura 
Mazzarella,  the  same  who  had  resigned  his  office  as 
Justice  for  the  district  with  impertinent  boasting  and 
insults  to  our  Royal  Governor.  For  secretaries  they 
chose  the  guilty  Castromediano  and  the  absent  de 
Ambrosio,  Dondo,  and  Pino. 

"  On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  the  Circle  decided 
to  remain  in  permanent  session  and  to  watch  over  the 
fidelity  of  the  post  on  all  roads  in  the  province.  They 
printed  and  published  their  *  Profession  of  Faith,'  and 
therein  proclaimed  that  they  intended  to  watch  over 
the  citizens,  their  property,  trade,  and  arts  ;  to  fight 
opposition  by  legal  means,  to  guarantee  the  Constitution. 
They  besought  the  aid  of  all  in  authority,  of  those 
responsible  for  public  and  national  safety,  of  all 
influential  persons  ;  they  protested  that  they  existed, 
not  for  their  own  good,  but  that  all  should  be  con- 
stitutionally free ;  they  invited  all  men  to  unite  with 
them  tranquilly  and  decorously  for  the  lofty  ideals 
which  their  Circle  held ;  they  said  that  an  hour  of 
difficulty  and  solemnity  had  struck,  that  they  must 
meet  the  future  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and  never  let  it 
be  thought  that  their  sacred  cause  should  be  trampled 
upon,  and  finally  that  they  must  never  be  perverted 


224  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

by  those  whom  they  knew  to  exist  only  by  servility, 
by  atrocious  deeds,  and  by  offences  of  any  kind. 

"  The  same  day  they  sent  a  letter  to  the  Communal 
Authority,  asking  for  a  subscription  list  to  be  opened 
for  the  purposes  of  the  cause  ;  also  letters  to  all  the 
Communes  who  had  not  sent  representatives,  asking 
them  to  do  so.  All  these  things  were  printed  in 
folio  and  signed  at  the  foot  by  the  President  and 
Secretaries. 

"  On  July  I  St  they  communicated  with  the  Mayor  of 
Nardo,  also  appointed  an  executive  committee  for 
debate  and  another  for  military  matters. 

"  On  July  4th  they  constituted  themselves  a  Com- 
mittee of  Public  Safety,  in  a  proclamation  signed 
as  before.  On  the  same  day  they  proclaimed  their 
gratitude  to  the  spirited  and  brave  youths  of  Lecce 
who  had  quelled  a  mob  of  many  persons  at  the  house 
of  Procurator-General  Signor  Rossi,  believing  that 
that  functionary  had  abandoned  his  post. 

"  They  also  acknowledged  a  letter  from  Rossano 
dated  June  26th  relating  to  the  events  in  Calabria  and 
announcing  victories  over  Royalist  troops.  They  next 
printed  the  Memorandum  signed  at  Potenza  on  the 
25th  on  behalf  of  the  Confederate  provinces,  i.e. 
Basilicata,  Bari,  Terra  d'  Otranto,  Capitanata  and 
Molise.  On  hearing  of  the  doings  in  Naples  on 
May  15th  they  too  uttered  a  cry  of  horror — for  the 
disbanding  of  the  National  Guard  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  for  the  state  of  siege  declared,  and 
because  the  compact  of  April  3rd-5th  had  been 
revoked.  This  folio  closed  by  empowering  the 
deputies  who  were  at  Potenza  to  form  a  league  with 
the  Calabrians,  to  find  means  to  mobilise  a  fourth  of 
the  Provincial  National  Guard,  and  to  congratulate  the 
Calabrians  on  their  reported  victories. 

"  On  July  5th  they  wrote  to  the  Circle  at  Gallipoli  to 
say  they  had  appointed  a  Commission  with  the  object 
of  finding  out  the  real  state  of  the  diocesan  finances, 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  225 

of  putting  a  stop  to  the  first  signs  of  anarchy  in  Sava 
and  San  Giorgio,  etc.,  etc. 

"  On  July  6th,  in  a  folio  of  the  same  kind,  they 
agreed  that  a  deputation  should  be  sent  to  the  Captain 
of  the  Guard  of  Public  Safety  to  ask  him  to  keep  them 
informed  of  any  unrest  observed  in  any  quarter  of  the 
city  and  to  keep  the  public  acquainted  with  the  result, 
in  the  assurance  that  they  need  have  no  fear.  This 
entry  concludes  with  the  words  :  '  Only  let  us  unite, 
and  then  we  shall  march  forward.' 

"  On  July  7th  they  decreed  that  the  Mayor  of  Lecce 
should  find  money  to  pay  the  National  Guard,  and 
that  a  manifesto  should  be  sent  round  the  neighbour- 
ing villages  to  make  a  register  of  worthy  patriots 
ready  to  march  as  volunteers,  as  they  feared  that  the 
Guard  of  Public  Safety  was  not  of  itself  sufficient  to 
oppose  a  large  force. 

"  On  July  9th,  in  a  proclamation  signed  in  Castro- 
mediano's  unmistakable  hand,  it  was  declared  that 
the  news  of  the  arrival  of  troops  at  Brindisi  and 
Gallipoli  was  being  verified  ;  that  to  maintain  order 
and  to  protect  life,  property,  trade,  art,  and  the  Con- 
stitution, the  Circle  had  decided  to  remain  in  permanent 
session,  to  resist  worthily  every  cruel  act  which  was 
committed  as  an  example  to  make  others  dread,  and 
not  to  stir  from  their  post  of  duty  unless  they  were 
driven  from  it  at  the  bayonet's  point. 

"  On  July  loth  a  paper  signed  by  all  the  deputies 
protested  against  the  landing  of  Royalist  troops  in 
the  province,  said  it  was  unjust  that  law-abiding 
citizens  should  be  threatened  by  a  troop  which  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  that  it  was  fighting  brother  Italians, 
adding  that  the  presence  of  Royalist  forces  involved 
a  fratricidal  war,  and  that  the  province  would  hold  to 
its  peaceful  intentions  if  the  Royalist  force  would  keep 
a   reasonable  distance  away, 

"  Finally,  on  July  iSth  the  deputies  were  invited 
to  meet  on  the  24th  with  regard  to  a  matter  of  grave 

15 


226  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

public  importance.  The  President,  Mazzarella,  appears 
to  have  made  a  speech  on  that  occasion  to  the  Circle, 
in  which  he  suggested  that  they  should  dissolve,  but 
on  a  vote  being  taken,  found  all  the  others  against 
him.  The  Circle  appears  to  have  disbanded  about  the 
end  of  the  month. 

"  As  for  the  arms  which  they  collected  as  part 
of  their  preparations,  Mazzarella  ordered  a  cannon 
to  be  brought  to  Lecce  which  had  been  found  in 
the  Torre  dell'  Orso.  On  July  9th  he  wrote  to  the 
Commandant  of  the  Fortress  of  Otranto  : 

" '  Signore,  I  beg  you  to  supply  the  bearer  of  this 
with  cartouches,  cannon-balls,  and  two  field-pieces. 
He  who  disobeys  is  a  traitor  to  his  country.' 

**  This  letter  was  consigned  to  four  deputies,  who 
set  out  and  arrived  at  Otranto  at  five  o'clock  that 
same  day.  Filippo  Cosentini,  one  of  them,  gave  their 
message  to  the  Mayor,  asking  him  to  inform  the 
Commandant,  and  then  awaited  the  result.  On  the 
following  morning  the  Commandant  read  the  Syndic's 
letter,  and  shortly  afterwards  Cosentini  was  called 
to  his  house.  He  then  repeated  the  demands  made  on 
behalf  of  the  Circle — six  thousand  cartridge-belts,  two 
cannon,  and  ammunition  in  proportion,  to  oppose  the 
Royalist  troops.  The  Commandant  asked  to  see  the 
document  and,  having  read  it,  said  he  did  not  know 
this  Mazzarella.  Whereon  the  deputies  lost  their 
temper,  thinking  they  had  come  on  a  fool's  errand. 
To  their  demands  the  old  soldier  replied  with  a 
proposal  to  communicate  with  the  authorities  at 
Lecce  by  telegraph,  and  thus  exculpate  himself  from 
any  blame.  This  having  been  done,  an  evasive  answer 
was  received.  The  Commandant  then  firmly  refused, 
but  the  deputies  pressed  him  at  least  to  reply  to 
Mazzarella's  letter.  He  did  so,  but  by  this  time  the 
populace  were  aroused,  and  the  cry  was  heard : 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  227 

'"Viva  il  Re,  fuori  i  Leccesi '  (Long  live  the  king, 
out  with  the  Lecce  men). 

"Michelangelo  Verri,  a  Lecce  gunsmith,  also  went 
in  search  of  ordnance.  On  July  5th  he  found  two 
cannon  near  Castro,  and  measured  them.  Coming 
back  next  morning  with  others  to  help  him,  he  carried 
off  the  smaller  one,  and  on  Sunday  the  9th  the 
larger  one.  The  latter  they  left  at  Poggiardo,  taking 
the  smaller  to  Lecce.  They  gave  out  that  they 
intended  to  oppose  the  Royalists  by  fortifying  Lecce. 
A  ship  being  in  port  at  San  Cataldo  having  ten 
cannon  on  board  one  day  during  this  month,  Signor 
Pondari  offered  to  buy  two  for  the  city,  but  the  price 
asked  was  too  high,  and  the  offer  fell  through." 

So  patriotism  had  its  limits  even  in  Lecce  town. 
This  is  a  narrative  written  by  Government  clerks, 
whose  profession  it  was  to  be  biassed,  yet  it  gives 
us  a  vivid  picture  of  events  in  the  city  in  the  summer 
of  1848.  De  Simone  tells  us  something  of  the  fate 
of  various  members  of  the  revolutionary  Circle ;  ^  but 
there  is  one  figure  who  stands  out  head  and  shoulders 
above  the  rest,  a  figure  who  has  a  name  recorded  on 
the  roll  of  Italian  liberty,  that  of  Duke  Sigismondo 
Castromediano.  He  came  from  a  family  of  German 
origin,  the  Chiliani  of  Limbourg,  who  had  large 
territories  given  to  them  by  William  the  Bad  in  11 56. 
At  Cavallino,  on  this  ancestral  estate,  Sigismondo 
was  born  on  January  i8th,  181 1.  He  was  educated  in 
Lecce  and  took  part  in  plots  against  the  Bourbons 
in  1848,  as  we  have  seen.  The  times  in  which  he 
lived  were  so  bad  that  a  recent  writer  has  said  that 
though  the  legal  system  appeared  infinitely  better  on 
paper    than   that   prevailing    in    the    Roman    States, 

'  "  Lecce  e  i  monumenti  suoi,"  p.  363,  note. 


228  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

"  the  administration  was  such  as  would  have  disgraced 
a  remote  province  of  the  Turl^ish  Empire."  ^  After 
the  affair  of  1S48  things  became  far  worse.  The 
sycophants  of  the  Court  and  the  clergy  poured  poison 
into  Ferdinand's  ear  and  influenced  him  against  every 
man  of  liberal  tendencies.  False  testimony  was  used 
everywhere  to  procure  convictions.  Liberals  were 
sent  to  the  galleys  in  hundreds,  and  it  was  only  by 
venal  methods  of  bribery  and  corruption  that  even 
the  innocent  could  escape.  The  police  actually  some- 
times refused  to  release  those  whom  the  judges  had 
acquitted,  and — 

"A  wretched  barber  was  fined  1,000  ducats  for 
having  in  his  possession  a  volume  of  Leopardi's 
poems,  which  was  described  as  '  contrary  to  religion 
and  morals.' " 

After  Castromediano's  arrest  he  was  tried  and  found 
guilty  of  high  treason.  So  calm  was  his  mind  that 
he  was  seen  to  be  asleep  at  the  moment  when  his 
sentence  was  being  pronounced.  Noticing  a  young 
guard  sobbing  at  his  side,  he  said  :  "  Cheer  up ;  and 
if  you  do  see  me  die  to-morrow,  it  will  at  least  be 
no  more  than  seeing  me  sleep  with  an  easy  conscience 
to-day."  He  was  condemned  at  first  to  death,  then  to 
thirty  years  of  irons  and  close  confinement,  besides 
being  subjected  to  heavy  fines.  The  first  part  of 
his  captivivy  was  spent  at  Procida,  and  Mrs.  Ross 
tells  us  in  her  book  how  the  old  man  described  this 
terrible  period  in  his  life : 

"  After   a  year's   imprisonment   at    Procida,  among 
convicts  of  the  lowest  description,  imbued  with  every 

'  "  The   Liberation  of  Italy,"  by    Countess    Martinengo   Cesaresco, 
pp.    186-7. 


Photo  by  Barb 


p     228] 


15.       DUKE   SIGISMONDO   CASTROMEDIANO 
(Leader  of  the  Risorgimento  movement  in  the  Heel  of  Italy) 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  229 

vice,  the  very  refuse  of  humanity,  the  Bourbon 
Government  suddenly  sent  the  Rondine,  one  of  their 
war  steamers,  to  collect  political  prisoners  in  the 
islands  of  Procida,  Ischia,  and  Nisida,  and  carry  them 
to  Naples.  I  suppose  they  thought  we  might  still 
find  means  to  conspire,  or  that  England  would  at- 
tempt our  liberation.  On  the  deck  of  the  Rondine, 
on  a  fine  winter's  day,  I  first  saw  Poerio.  We 
embraced,  and  were  as  brothers  from  that  moment. 
Forgetting  our  chains,  we  breathed  the  fresh  air, 
which  seemed  to  us  laden  with  perfume  after  so  many 
months  passed  in  foetid  underground  cells,  and  we 
dared  to  hope.  Friends  met  again  with  joy,  and 
strangers  became  intimate  in  a  few  minutes.  But 
Poerio,  already  broken  in  health,  though  serene  and 
steadfast,  full  of  anecdote,  sympathetic  in  manner 
and  voice,  with  brilliant  eyes  and  a  most  persuasive 
smile,  he  was  the  one  we  all  looked  to — he  was  our 
lodestar. 

"On  the  8th  of  February,  1852,  we  neared  Naples 
as  the  sun  went  down,  and  saw  boats  full  of  friends 
and  well-wishers  started  from  the  shore,  waving 
handkerchiefs  and  striving  to  catch  sight  of  brothers, 
husbands,  relations,  or  friends,  but  the  police 
boats  soon  drove  them  away,  and  we  could  only 
distinguish  the  white  handkerchiefs  waving  in  hun- 
dreds from  the  shore  and  the  small  boats,  as  we 
entered  the  military  port. 

"  Like  wild  beasts  we  were  driven  and  pushed  into 
a  low  and  damp  storeroom  in  the  arsenal,  without 
any  window.  We  had  no  room  to  move,  much  less 
to  sit  down,  on  the  wet  stones.  Some  fainted,  and 
with  one  accord  we  shouted,  while  those  near  the 
door  beat  it  with  their  fists  and  rattled  their  chains. 
At  last  a  gaoler  came  and  removed  fifteen  out  of  the 
fifty  to  a  stable.  For  thirty-six  hours  we  had  been 
without  food,  and  at  length  we  bribed  a  soldier  with 
a  large  present  to  give  us  some  coarse  brown  bread, 


230  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

bad  cheese,  and  a  few  bottles  of  vinegar  and  water, 
miscalled  wine. 

"  After  the  bell  of  San  Martino  had  rung  out 
midnight,  there  began  a  great  noise  of  carriages, 
clanging  of  chains,  hammering,  and  orders  given  in 
sharp,  vicious  tones.  Soon  after,  the  doors  were 
opened,  and  by  the  light  of  flaming  pine-torches  we 
saw  a  double  line  of  gendarmes  and  police,  and  many 
closed  carriages. 

"  We  were  rigorously  searched,  our  pockets,  shoes, 
stockings,  everything ;  our  chains  were  violently 
shaken,  pulled,  and  hit  with  a  hammer — a  painful 
proceeding,  as  the  shins  and  ankles  of  some  of  us 
could  testify.  We  were  then  handcuffed  two,  three, 
or  four  together,  and  packed  into  close  carriages 
with  a  gendarme.  Another  police-officer  sat  on  the 
box,  a  third  behind,  and  one  rode  at  each  side.  Thus 
guarded  we  traversed  Naples  at  full  gallop.  Schiavoni 
fainted  from  weakness  and  the  pain  of  his  chains,  but 
the  fear  of  an  attempted  rescue  drove  our  gaolers  like 
a  whip  of  snakes.  At  Avellino  we  halted,  and  there 
we  knew  our  fate.  We  were  sent  to  rot  in  the  prison 
of  Montefusco,  as  the  commissionary,  Campagna, 
announced  to  us  with  a  cynical  smile — Montefusco, 
the  prison  which  Ferdinand  II.,  the  very  man  who 
now  sent  us  there,  declared  in  1845  to  be  unfit  for  the 
habitation  of  brutes,  and  ordered  to  be  destroyed  in 
the  name  of  humanity  ! 

"  Montefusco  is  horrible !  Far,  far  worse  than 
anything  imagined  by  Guerrazzi  or  Victor  Hugo. 
Excavated  out  of  the  solid  rock  in  the  side  of  a 
mountain,  the  cells  are  low  and  damp,  and  the  dark- 
ness suffocating.  One  or  two  of  my  companions  went 
mad,  poor  Pironti  got  disease  of  the  spine,  and  Vuoso 
and  Stagliano  were  crippled  by  rheumatism.  Poerio 
and  I  nearly  died  of  bronchitis,  and  Schiavoni  lost  an 
eye,  while  seventeen  out  of  our  number  were  injured 
for  life  by  the  weight  of  their   chains.     Those  who 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  231 

died  of  consumption  or  cholera,  without  medicines 
and  without  medical  aid,  died  blessing  their  chains 
and  Italy,  and  thanking  God  for  delivering  them  from 
such  torments. 

•*  The  history  of  our  prison  is  one  of  blood.  It  was 
used  for  brigands  and  convicts  of  the  worst  descrip- 
tion, who  only  left  it  in  charge  of  the  executioner. 
We  found  bones  and  skulls  covered  by  a  little  earth 
in  our  cells  among  the  broken  potsherds  and  tiles, 
which  cut  our  feet. 

"  It  was  bitterly  cold  when  we  arrived,  and  as  our 
beds  and  bedding  had  not  been  sent  from  the  other 
prisons,  we  passed  the  first  nights  huddled  close 
together  for  warmth,  with  only  our  cloaks  to  cover 
us.  We  persuaded  Carlo  Poerio,^  the  most  precious 
life  amongst  us,  to  take  a  place  near  the  wall,  behind 
a  pillar,  which  rather  shielded  him  from  the  bitter 
draught  coming  from  an  open  grated  window.  He 
and  Pironti,  who  were  manacled  together,  lay  down, 
and  Poerio  was  soon  in  a  deep  sleep.  We  suddenly 
heard  a  noise  and  thought  it  was  an  earthquake,  when 
we  saw  the  wall  bulge  above  the  head  of  our  beloved 
Poerio.  In  an  instant,  spite  of  chains  and  fatigue, 
some  of  us  sprang  to  his  side,  and  we  carried  him 
and  Pironti  with  our  handcuffed  hands  to  a  safe  place. 
Hardly  had  we  done  so  when  the  wall  fell — a  mass 
of  putrid,  decaying  matter.  Ah  !  how  I  loved  him, 
my  Poerio."^ 

In  a  moment  of  panic  all  of  these  prisoners  were 
suddenly  released  by  the  Bourbons  in  1859,  ^^^  were 
sent  off  for  transportation  to  South  America.  After 
the  voyage  had  begun,  however,  they  overmastered 
the  crew  of  the  vessel  and  made  their  escape  to 
England,  where   they   knew   a   sympathetic   welcome 

'  Carlo  Poerio,  a  famous  leader  in  the  "  Risorgimento." 
*  "  Land  of  Manfred,"  pp.  218  onwards. 


232  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

would  await  them,  not  only  from  the  numerous  Italian 
patriots  then  in  London,  but  from  English  people 
themselves.  Nor  were  they  disappointed.  The  sixty- 
eight  Neapolitan  exiles  were  enthusiastically  received, 
and  from  none  did  they  receive  warmer  support  than 
from  Mr.  Gladstone,  whose  deep  interest  in  any  cause 
of  oppression  and  striving  after  liberty  was  in  this 
case  strengthened  by  his  love  of  Italy. ^  The  Duke 
told  Mrs.  Ross  that  "quel  grande"  (that  great  man), 
as  he  called  Gladstone,  would  probably  not  remember 
his  visit  to  him  in  London,  how  he  found  the  great 
statesman  sitting  engrossed  in  an  Irish  newspaper,  to 
which  he,  Castromediano,  had  contributed  an  account 
of  the  Neapolitan  prisoners.  It  is  characteristic  of 
Gladstone  that  he  told  his  visitor  how  much  he  was 
touched  by  a  sentence  describing  the  wanton  destruc- 
tion by  the  gaolers  of  a  pet  nightingale  which  the 
miserable  captives  had  tamed.  The  Duke  returned 
to  Turin  to  take  part  in  the  second  war  of  indepen- 
dence, and  collaborated  with  Poerio  in  the  famous 
manifesto  which  the  Neapolitan  exiles  presented  to 
Victor  Emanuel  in  i860.  During  that  year,  after  the 
Liberation,  he  went  to  Naples  and  took  part  in  the 
annexation  movement. 

Another  extract,  this  time  from  Castromediano's 
recollections,  written  in  his  old  age,  records  what  he 
considers  the  most  perilous  moment  in  his  life. 

"  It  was  when  he  was  summoned,  with  six  fellow- 
prisoners  who  had  asked  for  and  obtained  freedom,  to 
hear,  as  he  feared,  his  own  pardon  pronounced.  For 
pardon  was  equivalent  to  dishonour ;  it  was  granted 
either  in  consequence  of  real  submission  and  retrac- 
tion, or  in  order  to  be  able  to  blacken  the  character 
^  See  Morley's  "  Life  of  Gladstone." 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  233 

of  the  pardoned  man  by  falsely  asserting  that  such 
submission  had  been  made.  His  fear  was  groundless. 
He  had  been  led  out,  perhaps,  in  the  hope  that  the 
example  of  the  others  would  prove  contagious.  He 
was  not  pardoned.  As  he  returned  to  his  prison  he 
thanked  Divine  Providence  for  the  chain  which  left 
him  pure."  ^ 


The  city  of  Lecce  contributed  other  citizens  to  the 
National  cause  besides  this  fine  example  of  heroism. 
In  the  "  Corpo  Volontari "  some  battalions  were  en- 
rolled, known  as  the  "Cacciatori  di  Mongiano,"  formed 
of  youths  from  Calabria  and  Apulia,  in  the  first  of 
which  were  293  volunteers  from  the  Terra  d'  Otranto, 
and  of  these  fifty-nine  were  citizens  of  Lecce.  In  the 
National  war,  six  years  later,  a  central  precautionary 
committee  was  established  at  Lecce,  of  which  the  ex- 
deputy  Giuseppe  Libertini  was  president.  He  was  a 
brave  patriot  and  had  been  one  of  the  Provisional 
Government  at  Naples  in  September  i860,  afterwards 
refusing  with  rare  delicacy  the  rewards  offered  him 
by  "  Dictator  Giuseppe  Garibaldi." 

Castromediano  returned  to  Lecce  after  spending 
some  time  in  Naples,  and  for  some  years  was  the  most 
important  influence  in  the  moderate  party  there. 
For  a  short  time  he  was  Deputy  for  Campi  Salentini. 
He  had  given  practically  every  penny  he  had  to  the 
cause,  and  Silvio  Spaventa  (then  Secretary-General 
for  Home  Affairs),  finding  that  he  was  actually  work- 
ing for  his  bread,  offered  him  iJ"ioo  a  year  pension 
from  the  public  funds.  But  the  proud  old  Duke 
would  not  accept  the  grant.  At  the  time  when  Mrs. 
Ross  saw  him  (her  book  appeared  in  1889)  he   seemed 

•  Quoted  in  "The  Liberation  of  Italy,"  p.  188. 


234  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

to  be  in  great  poverty.  About  this  time  he  acted  as 
organiser  and  curator  for  the  Lecce  Museum,  com- 
pletely rearranging  it  and  putting  it  on  a  better 
footing. 

"  Rarely,"  says  Mrs.  Ross,  "  have  I  been  so  im- 
pressed by  any  one  as  by  this  kindly,  gracious,  simple 
old  man.  He  had  the  goodness,  although  very  ailing, 
to  come  in  from  his  country  place,  Cavallino,  two 
miles  distant  from  Lecce,  to  show  me  the  Museum ; 
but  I  must  confess  that  my  attention  often  wandered 
from  the  vase  on  whose  beauty  the  Duke  was  ex- 
patiating to  the  speaker  himself.  Far  above  the 
ordinary  height,  and  still  upright  in  spite  of  eleven 
years  of  cruel  imprisonment  under  King  Ferdinand, 
the  old  man's  fine  face  and  silver  hair  had  an  in- 
expressible charm.  .  .  ." 

"  No  wonder  the  people  of  Lecce  bare  their  heads 
when  the  tall  figure  of  '  II  Duca '  passes  slowly  along, 
leaning  on  his  secretary's  arm,  for  he  is  very  blind." 

Having  retired  to  his  old  family  seat  at  Cavallino, 
he  shut  himself  up  in  one  modest  little  room,  and  was 
only  seen  from  time  to  time  by  a  few  friends.  It  was 
they  who  persuaded  him  to  write  his  reminiscences,' 
published  shortly  after  his  death,  which  took  place  at 
the  great  age  of  ninety-four,  on  the  night  of  August 
26th,  1905. 

The  story  of  Lecce  has  now  been  carried  into  very 
recent  years,  yet  in  this  sketch  of  the  city's  past  there 
is  no  more  heroic  figure  than  that  of  the  old  patriot 
Duke  who  so  lately  passed  away.  Surely  it  is  a 
strange  and  withal  an  encouraging  feature  when  a  city 
with  a   record  like   Lecce,  stretching   away   into  the 

'  For  other  literary  work  by  Duke  Sigismondo  Castromediano,  see 
Bibliography. 


REVOLUTIONARY    LECCE  235 

distant  ages  till  all  count  of  time  is  lost,  can  show  a 
"  proper  man,"  a  man  whose  life  vies  with  those 
of  any  conquering  Caesars  or  courtly  knights  in  the 
brave  days  of  old.^ 

'  For  some  account  of  another  "  Risorgimento  "  veteran,  a  contem- 
porary of  Castromediano's,  see  p.  328. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE   BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE 

At  the  beginning  of  this  book  the  unique  position  of 
Lecce  has  already  been  mentioned  as  an  almost 
unaltered  example  of  a  baroque  city.  It  has  been 
shown  how  later  building  has  with  a  few  exceptions 
been  confined  to  suburbs,  and  how,  thus,  the  aspect 
of  the  place  has  been  little  changed  since  its  great 
architectural  period  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries. 

Before  proceeding  to  a  critical  analysis  of  the  merits 
of  Baroque  a  glance  at  the  condition  of  Lecce  on  its 
introduction,  and  a  consideration  of  subsequent  events 
affecting  its  progress  will  explain  many  things. 

For  it  is  natural,  on  finding  a  city  suddenly  plunging 
into  a  craze  for  erecting  churches  and  palaces,  to  seek 
for  some  explanation  of  such  a  movement.  Why,  for 
instance,  should  Lecce  produce  a  dozen  important 
buildings  between  1540  and  1590,  and  then  lapse  into 
architectural  inactivity — comparatively  speaking — for 
seventy  years  ?  Why  should  a  second  period  ensue 
from  1660  or  so,  and  as  suddenly  cease  about  1720? 

These  questions  are  answered  in  some  measure 
by   history.      The   last  war   to  menace  the   peace   of 

236 


Wfesfern  •  Jaca3e  .  5  Mana  Maggiore    Rime 


l6.       A    "baroque"    church    in    ROME 


P-   236] 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  237 

the  city  was  between  Charles  V.  and  the  French. 
Up  to  its  conclusion,  in  1528,  the  citizens  had  hardly 
ever  experienced  fifty  years  of  freedom  from  siege, 
skirmish,  or  revolution.  Under  Charles,  however, 
there  was  some  prospect  of  security. 

We  do  not  know  his  motives  for  interest  in  Lecce, 
whether  he  regarded  it  as  a  strong  place  strategically, 
and  therefore  not  to  be  neglected,  or  whether  he  was 
moved  by  sympathy  for  its  hard  lot  in  the  past.  In 
any  case  his  methods  were  practical  enough.  Having 
protected  the  coast  by  a  long  line  of  fortified  towers, 
he  turned  his  attention  in  1539  to  the  old  castle  of 
Lecce,  erected  by  Brienne  two  centuries  earlier,  and 
selected  dell'  Acaya,  a  local  military  architect  of  already 
established  reputation,  to  remodel  and  enlarge  it  very 
much  as  we  now  see  it.  This  extension  involved  the 
destruction  of  the  church  and  monastery  of  the 
Celestini,  also  founded  by  Brienne,  and  thus  a  new 
church  became  necessary,  destined  to  be  the  most 
bizarre  building  in  the  city.  The  church  of  the 
Paolotti  and  the  chapel  of  Santa  Maria  della  Porta 
were  also  partly  demolished  in  the  erection  of  new 
walls  and  bastions. 

At  this  time  Lecce  was  undoubtedly  a  considerable 
town,  but  no  tangible  relics  of  the  period  exist  except 
Tancred's  fine  church  of  S.  Nicolo  e  Cataldo  outside 
the  walls.  The  Roman  remains  recently  excavated, 
though  of  course  centuries  older,  were  unknown  even 
thirty  years  ago.  However,  in  the  little  chapel  of 
San  Sebastian©  near  the  Duomo,  we  probably  see  the 
oldest  surviving  building  of  the  city,  erected  in  1520 
to  commemorate  a  plague.  Not  to  be  outdone  by 
the  Emperor's  enthusiasm,  a  zealous  Governor  was 
emulated  to  pave  the  streets,  a  work  which  occupied 


238  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

two  years,  and  was  very  necessary.      The  Venetians 
at  the  same  time  obtained  permission  for  their  Httle 
church  of  San  Marco  to  stand  in  the  Piazza,  and  at 
once   set   about    its    erection    and    endowment.      An 
earthquake    in    1546    destroyed    a    Dominican    house 
outside   the  walls,  and  the  friars  entered  the  city  to 
found    the    Carmine    church    and    monastery,   while 
two   years    later   dell'Acaya    was    chosen    to    rebuild 
the   Dominican   foundation   established    by  Giovanni 
d'  Aymo   on   the    site    of  the    Rosario   church.      The 
beautiful  little  chapel  of  Santa  Elisabetta  must  be  of 
approximately  the  same  date  as  San  Marco  and  San 
Sebastiano,   to  judge   by   its   detail.     Lastly,  in   1548 
the  grateful  inhabitants  honoured  Charles  V.  for  his 
favours  with  the  huge  triumphal  arch  illustrated   in 
fig.  13.     Within  ten  years,  then,  the  aspect  of  Lecce 
had  greatly  changed,  and  in  this  group  of  early  build- 
ings the  elements  of  the  later  baroque  are  to  be  seen, 
although  the  details  of  San  Marco,  Santa  Elisabetta, 
and  the  Castle   are   most   delicate   and   restrained  in 
character,  recalling  the  style  of  Florence. 

The  next  influence  to  affect  the  city  was  the  arrival 
of  several  religious  orders :  St.  Philip  Neri  founded 
a  hospital  there  in  1548,  the  Jesuits  in  1574,  the  orders 
of  the  SS.  Crocefisso  and  of  S.  Giuseppe  about  the 
same  time,  the  Teatini  in  1591.  The  most  important 
of  these  bodies  was  without  doubt  the  Jesuits,  who 
turned  out  the  Greeks  from  their  little  church  and 
set  about  rebuilding  a  larger  one  in  1575.  They 
were  thus  responsible  for  the  building  of  a  new 
church  by  the  Greeks  in  the  same  year,  a  poor  little 
sanctuary,  indicating  that  this  persuasion  was  neither 
wealthy  nor  numerous.  The  churches  of  the  Teatini 
and  the  Gesti,  jon   the   other  hand,  are  perhaps  the 


Ihoto  hy  Barbicri,  /., 


17.       THE    SEDILE,    LECCE 
The  Venetian  chapel  of  St.  Mark  on  the  right) 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  239 

finest  in  Lecce,  large,  sumptuous,  and  of  excellent 
design.  Of  the  same  date  is  the  Sedile  in  the  Piazza 
S.  Oronzo,  the  most  baffling  architectural  problem  of 
the  city ;  and  it  may  safely  be  said  that  it  has  no 
counterpart.  The  church  of  Sante  Maria  delle  Grazie, 
nearly  opposite,  appears  to  have  been  erected  in  the 
first  decade  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  so  may 
be  reckoned  as  belonging  to  this  epoch. 

After  fifty  years  of  intense  building  activity  comes 
a  break  in  the  list  of  public  buildings.  Many  of  the 
palaces  no  doubt  belong  to  this  period,  but  the 
only  certain  examples  in  progress  are  the  two  large 
churches  of  the  Benedettini  (Sant'  Irene)  and  the 
Celestini  (Santa  Croce).  The  latter  was  completed 
in  1639.  Another  order,  the  Teresiani  Scalzi,  opened 
an  aristocratic  nunnery,  apparently  in  1630.  This 
comparative  stagnation  is  accounted  for  by  the  pre- 
vailing unrest  in  Southern  Italy  up  to  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  culminating  in  Masaniello's 
insurrection  in  1647.  Lecce  was  the  scene  of  much 
civil  strife,  and  on  one  occasion  the  priests  were 
armed  in  view  of  the  threatening  outlook,  due  almost 
entirely  to  dissatisfaction  with  overbearing  and 
thoughtless  Spanish  viceroys. 

The  second  building  era  in  Lecce  is  almost  exactly 
coeval  with  the  career  of  Sir  Christopher  Wren  in 
England,  and  marks  the  highest  point  of  ecclesiastical 
supremacy  in  Lecce,  from  about  1660  to  17 10.  During 
this  half-century  the  Church  was  fortunate  in  its 
bishops,  Aloysius  Pappacoda  at  first ;  then  three  of 
the  Pignatelli  family  in  succession :  Antonio  (who 
became  Pope),  Ignazio,  and  Michele.  Pappacoda  was 
a  strong  and  commanding  character.  It  was  he  who 
armed    his   clerics   in    1646,  and   he   who,   when   the 


240  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

question  of  enlarging  the  Duomo  came  up,  decided 
upon  rebuilding.  This  great  work,  commenced  in 
1658,  opened  the  second  period  and  occupied  twelve 
years.  Zimbalo,  a  local  architect  selected  after  much 
discussion,  thus  began  a  most  prosperous  career,  and 
three  years  later  laid  the  foundations  of  the  cam- 
panile. At  the  same  time  two  other  churches  were 
started  :  Sant'  Angelo  and  Santa  Maria  degli  Angeli 
(commonly  known  as  San  Francesco  di  Paola), 
Zimbalo  was  also  working  on  Santa  Croce,  now 
rapidly  approaching  completion  after  a  century  and  a 
half  of  building ;  but  how  much  of  it,  and  how  much 
of  the  Prefettura  is  his  handiwork,  forms  a  very  nice 
question  for  critics. 

It  was,  however,  thirty  years  before  the  rush  of 
church  and  palace  building  came — a  good  time  for 
Lecce  architects.  Zimbalo  placed  the  new  statue  of 
S.  Oronzo  on  the  column  which  Brindisi  had  pre- 
sented to  his  city,  designed  a  fine  fountain  (now 
demolished)  for  the  Piazza,  and  in  1691  received  his 
last  great  commission,  for  the  Rosario  church. 

Meanwhile  Cino,  his  clever  pupil,  had  also  fallen 
on  his  feet.  His  first  work  was  the  Alcantarine 
church,  followed  by  the  Seminario  (1694-1709),  the 
Sacramento  church  (1703),  and  the  rebuilding  of  the 
Carmine  on  a  large  scale  (171 1). 

To  this  period  also  belong  the  churches  of  Santa 
Chiara,  San  Matteo,  the  Bonfratelli,  the  elaborate 
facade  of  S.  Nicolo  e  Cataldo,  and  the  Porta  di  Rusce. 
It  was  certainly  the  most  prolific  building  era  Lecce 
has  ever  seen,  and  indeed  the  city  was  at  the  height 
of  its  prosperity.  Its  most  famous  literary  men  were 
dead,  but  literature  was  not  an  altogether  lost  art, 
while  painting  and  sculpture  were  the  willing  hand- 


Photo  by'.Barbieri,  Le 


15.       S.    IRENE,    LECCE 


p.   240] 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  241 

maidens  of  architecture.  The  Church's  period  of 
expansion  was  over,  yet  the  decHne  had  not  begun, 
and  the  Bishop  of  Lecce  was  a  formidable  personage. 
Nor  was  all  money  in  the  hands  of  the  Church  alone. 
The  many  aristocratic  families  who  had  lived  in  the 
city  for  generations  were  now  erecting  palaces  in 
their  beloved  if  narrow  streets — palaces  where  their 
ancestry  was  lavishly  displayed  in  crest  and  device, 
and  the  Spanish  viceroys  followed  suit.  Again  the 
city  fathers  turned  their  attention  to  paving  the  streets, 
which  had  occupied  their  wise  heads  in  the  days  of 
the  earlier  building  revival. 

But,  as  before,  a  fifty  years'  gap  suddenly  follows. 
We  have  no  record  of  any  building  of  importance 
(except  the  completion  of  the  Rosario  in  1728)  till 
Bishop  Sozi-Carafa — another  ambitious  cleric — com- 
menced the  Duomo  choir  in  1752,  Yet  this  cannot 
be  properly  called  a  building  epoch,  for  no  really 
great  work  marks  it  out.  The  ornamental  structures 
on  either  hand  as  one  enters  the  Piazza  del  Duomo 
are  also  Sozi-Carafa's  work,  but  are  not  monumental, 
and  the  Porta  San  Biagio  (1774)  is  very  weak  in 
design. 

This  survey  of  the  historical  influences  affecting 
Lecce  during  the  baroque  period  thus  brings  us  to 
two  conclusions. 

Firstly,  that  its  baroque  buildings  may  be  divided 
into  three  classes :  the  little  group  commenced  by 
Charles  V.  (1539-1549);  the  examples  from  the 
last  quarter  of  the  same  century  (1575-1600),  largely 
the  work  of  religious  orders ;  and  the  fully  developed 
series  of  churches  and  palaces  erected  between  1660 
and  1 7 10. 

Secondly,  that  these  curious  bursts  of  energy  are 

16 


242  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

due  to  corresponding  periods  of  peace  and  prosperity 
in  the  history  of  the  city,  while  the  intervening  years 
are  usually  marked  by  civil  dissension  or  the  presence 
of  a  hostile  army. 

Before  proceeding  to  analyse  the  baroque  style  of 
Lecce  in  detail,  or  to  compare  it  with  contemporary 
work  in  other  towns,  it  is  desirable  to  define  the 
meaning  of  the  word  "  baroque,"  which  will  be  found 
in  any  French  dictionary  to  signify — "rough,  rude, 
uncouth,  in  bad  taste."  As  a  technical  term  among 
architects  it  conveys  a  meaning  of  over-elaboration, 
of  ornament  misapplied,  proportion  disregarded,  and 
detail  used  regardless  of  structural  functions.  The 
baroque  period  in  Italy  stretches  from  the  times  of 
Palladio  in  the  late  sixteenth  century  to  the  earlier 
part  of  the  eighteenth,  and  includes  buildings  of  the 
most  varying  description.  It  is  generally  believed  to 
owe  most  of  its  extravagances  to  a  spirit  of  reaction 
against  the  pedantry  of  Vignola  and  his  purists. 
Men  tired  of  the  endless  rules  which  limited  the 
imagination  of  the  day,  and  in  breaking  away  from 
conventional  shackles  overreached  themselves,  ren- 
dering their  buildings  an  eyesore  to  more  enlightened 
and  refined  followers. 

Such  is  the  prevailing  view  of  "  baroque "  among 
the  majority  of  people  to  whom  it  conveys  any 
meaning  at  all.  It  is  an  unpopular  style,  and  stands 
in  much  the  same  light  for  critics  to-day  as  "  Gothick  " 
did  when  Wren  was  studying  the  elements  of  English 
architecture.  An  architect  who  has  no  idea  beyond 
the  pages  of  his  well-thumbed  Gibbs  or  Chambers, 
recoils  from  the  very  mention  of  the  name  in  holy 
horror,  and   will   not   suffer   his   eyes  to  behold  the 


Photo  by  htaihicri.  Le 


p.    242] 


19.       CHURCH    OK    THli   JESUITS,    LECCE 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  243 

unclean  thing.  There  is  a  very  strong  feeling  in 
the  profession  in  favour  of  copyism  pure  and  simple, 
a  feeling  just  as  strong  now  as  it  was  in  Palladio's 
day ;  and  among  the  disciples  of  this  cult  any  style 
of  architecture  must  first  receive  the  benediction  of 
fashionable  approval  before  it  can  be  recognised 
at  all. 

But  it  has  always  been  so.  A  man  who  can  count 
his  ninety  years  can  also  mark  off  on  his  fingers  a 
revival  in  England  of  almost  every  historic  style 
since  the  days  of  Thomson  and  Burton,  with  their 
minds  steeped  in  the  spirit  of  the  Acropolis.  The 
feeling  in  Wren's  day  against  Gothic  is  no  less  strong 
than  the  counter-feeling  in  the  times  of  Pugin,  Scott, 
and  the  Gothic  revivalists.  For  a  style  of  architecture 
to  be  unpopular  is  no  hall-mark  of  inferiority,  and  to 
begin  this  chapter  with  an  assumption  that  every 
baroque  building  is  architecturally  bad  is  as  unjust 
as  to  condemn  a  prisoner  with  sole  regard  to  public 
feeling. 

Let  us  proceed  to  arraign  our  prisoner  at  the  bar, 
and  to  put  ourselves  in  the  position  of  an  unbiassed 
jury.  His  name  we  know.  He  comes  of  a  family 
under  a  curse ;  he  is  in  the  pitiable  position  of  a 
mediaeval  Jew.  He  has  no  friends,  and  every  man's 
hand  is  against  him.  And  the  charge?  He,  this 
Lecce  architect,  has  erected  sundry  buildings  which 
are  admittedly  baroque — he  admits  it  himself — and 
as  such  is  worthy  of  eternal  condemnation.  So 
speaks  counsel  for  the  prosecution.  Let  us,  if  we 
can,  listen  without  prejudice  to  his  defence. 

The  first  accusation  referred  to  his  kindred,  the 
baroque  architects  of  Italy,  that  great  body  of  men 
who  built  in  this  style  for  a  century  and  a  half.     Of 


244  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

all  Italian  cities  there  is  none  where  we  may  better 
study  this  architecture  than  in  Rome,  where  it  is 
intermingled  with  ancient  and  modern  buildings  of 
every  type.  And  in  Rome,  above  all  places,  baroque 
forms  so  entirely  a  part  of  the  place  that  the  city 
without  it  would  be  a  mere  museum  of  broken 
columns  and  oddments  of  buildings,  with  an  occasional 
mediaeval  church  or  modern  shop  to  vary  its  monotony, 
Rome  without  baroque !     The  thought  is  impossible. 

He  who  tosses  his  coin  into  the  waters  of  the 
Fountain  of  Trevi,  who  stands  admiring  at  the  foot 
of  the  Capitol  or  Trinita  del  Monte  steps,  who  bares 
his  head  in  the  Gesia  church,  or  marvels  at  the 
magnificence  of  the  Lateran  fa9ade — is  he  prepared  to 
deny  all  these  things  as  a  part  of  Rome  ?  Will  Rome 
satisfy  him  if  denuded  of  half  her  fountains  and 
terraces,  of  half  her  open  spaces,  of  most  of  her 
palaces  and  churches  ? 

Is  he  prepared  to  disallow  the  portico  of  Santa 
Maria  Maggiore  or  S.  Andrea  del  Valle  as  model 
architectural  designs  ?  If  so,  and  only  if  so,  he  is 
a  purist,  and  is  allowed  to  make  as  good  a  case 
against  our  style  as  he  can.  But  will  he  go  to  Venice 
and  still  remain  a  purist  ?  Can  he  pass  the  Salute 
and  feel  unmoved  by  its  beauty — beauty  which  has 
touched  the  most  callous?  Yet  the  Salute  is  the 
very  embodiment  of  baroque. 

In  Genoa  the  magnificent  staircases  and  courtyards 
of  many  palaces  are  equally  admirable.  The  purist, 
too,  is  limited  by  the  paucity  and  isolation  of  earlier 
examples,  and  by  the  fact  that  so  few  of  them  are 
mature.  No  man  on  earth  would  dispute  the  perfect 
loveliness  of  Michelangelo's  little  chapel  at  Florence, 
nor  the  excellence  of  the  same  artist's  Farnese  palace 


p.  244] 


20.       S.    CROCK,    I.ECCE 
(By  permission  of  The  Architectural  Review) 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  245 

at  Rome.  But,  apart  from  these  two  masterpieces, 
hardly  any  of  the  scanty  remnants  of  the  early  or 
middle  Renaissance  periods  will  satisfy  a  modern 
critic.  There  is  nothing  more  than  scholarly  correct- 
ness in  Peruzzi's  Palazzo  Massimi ;  barely  that  in  the 
Riccardi  palace  or  the  Pazzi  chapel.  Italian  archi- 
tecture has  in  fact  nothing  to  compare  with  the 
magnificent  achievements  of  the  Tudor  age  in  England, 
none  of  those  fine  old  country-houses  which  will 
always  remain  the  unique  type  of  the  English  home. 

At  the  time  when  England  broke  into  the  style 
of  Kirby  and  Hatfield,  Italy  evolved  baroque.  Yet 
who  will  defend  Elizabethan  or  Jacobean  ornament 
on  the  ground  of  purity  in  design  ?  The  very  reason 
for  the  origin  of  baroque  provides  its  strongest  argu- 
ment. Baroque  was  a  revolt  against  the  schoolmen  : 
an  expression  of  weariness  for  this  studied  pedantry 
and  a  longing  for  something  bolder  and  more 
picturesque.  Hence  it  came  that  this  style  was  so 
much  allied  with  the  gardener's  craft,  and  nowadays 
forms  so  frequent  a  subject  for  brush  or  camera. 
What  photographer  save  an  architectural  student 
would  choose  the  Palazzo  Massimi  as  a  picture?  He 
would  find  a  dozen  subjects  within  a  few  minutes' 
walk  more  suited  to  his  taste,  and  they  would  not  be 
Renaissance  of  the  correct  period. 

The  seventeenth-century  architect  laid  out  his 
piazzas  and  fountains,  his  gardens  and  terraces,  with 
a  wonderful  eye  for  scenic  effect,  and  he  was  almost 
invariably  successful.  The  dazzling  magnificence  of 
Bernini's  colonnaded  "  place  "  in  front  of  St.  Peter's 
is  one  of  the  grandest  things  in  Rome,  yet  it  is  only 
one  of  many  cases  showing  perfect  appreciation  of 
surroundings.     The  same  desire  for  scenic   effect   is 


246  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

seen  in  the  depth  of  light  and  shade,  the  strength  of 
sculptured  figures  and  forms,  on  the  majority  of 
baroque  fagades.  The  architect  of  these  buildings 
might  be  a  renegade  painter,  so  much  does  he  think  of 
his  composition.  His  interior  walls,  too,  are  often 
treated  decoratively  with  panelling  as  frames  to 
paintings,  the  treatment  by  which  alone  a  painting  is 
seen  to  best  advantage. 

He  seeks  for  no  ghostly  mystery  of  dim  religious 
light,  but  like  the  Jesuits,  who  in  Lecce  and  Rome  at 
any  rate  helped  to  further  the  progress  of  baroque,  he 
makes  a  great  pretence  of  showing  everything  in 
bright  sunshine  and  says  nothing  of  what  lies  behind 
his  fair-faced  plaster. 

Baroque  has  its  weak  points.  They  are  many  and 
obvious,  but  are  not  universal.^  Some  examples  are 
bizarre  beyond  belief,  and  transgress  every  archi- 
tectural canon  held  even  by  the  Latitudinarians  of  the 
profession.  Yet  no  critic  judges  a  style  as  he  does  a 
chain,  and  it  is  not  my  intention  here  to  look  for  the 
weakest  link,  but  to  attempt  a  sane  verdict  on  the 
baroque  style  of  Lecce,  and  to  compare  it  with  the 
contemporary  examples  in  Rome  just  mentioned,  as 
typical  of  most  of  Italy. 

That  Lecce  baroque  should  closely  resemble  the 
style  of  Rome  or  Northern  Italy  is  not  to  be  expected 
by  any  one  who  realises  the  varying  economic  and 
social  influences  at  work  in  the  two  cities,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  vast  difference  in  their  architectural 
history. 

'  From  sundry  recent  articles  in  architectural  papers,  and  from  the 
appearance  of  an  unblushingly  baroque  church  in  Kingsvvay,  one  is 
inclined  to  believe  that  architects  are  becoming  more  sympathetically 
inclined  to  the  style. 


21.       THE   CATHEDRAL,    LECCE 
(The  I'escovado,  or  Bishop's  Palace,  on  right) 


p.  246] 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  247 

In  Rome,  for  instance,  an  architect  seeking  for  in- 
spiration found  himself  surrounded  by  an  admirable 
collection  of  antique  examples  and  by  the  slow-dying 
atmosphere  of  classic  times.  Some  relics  of  early 
Christian  days  remained  to  him,  but  of  the  Middle 
Ages  only  a  few  churches.  The  Renaissance,  though 
not  abundantly  commemorated  in  its  early  stages,  was 
able  to  show  St.  Peter's,  the  Farnese,  and  a  number 
of  fine  churches,  bound  to  have  a  bearing  on  all  sub- 
sequent design.  In  Rome,  therefore,  the  tendency 
for  an  unbiassed  architect  was  to  follow  in  the  classic 
tradition,  without  a  thought  of  the  mediaeval,  attempt- 
ing only  to  produce  something  more  picturesque,  and, 
if  you  will  have  it  so,  more  sensational. 

In  Lecce,  on  the  other  hand,  an  architect  was  bound 
by  no  continuous  tradition,  but  could  not  fail  to  be 
swayed   in   a  different   direction   by  the   magnificent 
remains  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto. 
Greek   and    Roman    Lecce   still   remained   many  feet 
below    ground,     undreamed    of;     early    Christianity 
had  left  no  more  than  a  few  fanciful  legends,  and  the 
budding  Renaissance   made  no  mark  on  this  distant 
province.     The  crypt   and   the  fine  basilican  nave  of 
Otranto    cathedral,   the   beautiful   church  which  per- 
petuates Tancred's  memory  just  outside  Lecce  walls, 
Balzo-Orsini's    glorious    tower    at    Soleto    and    his 
richly  carved  facade   at  Galatina — these,  and  sundry 
other    buildings    now   destroyed   (such   as    Brienne's 
church),  were  the  sources  of  inspiration  for  a  Lecce 
architect  seeking  a  new  manner  of  building.     Added 
to  this  mediaeval  influence  was  a  second  one — traced 
easily  to-day  by  its  fruits — the  powerful  hand  of  Spain, 
accounting  for  constant  intercourse  with  this  land,  and 
a  consequent  influence  on  Lecce  arts. 


248  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

All  that  is  unique  in  Lecce  architecture  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  combination  and  fusion  of  these 
three  great  elements — the  new  Renaissance  spirit 
slowly  percolating  to  the  remote  city,  the  unrivalled 
relics  of  the  Middle  Ages  standing  around  its  gates, 
and  the  long  rule  of  Spain. 

One  of  the  very  few  who  have  recorded  their 
impressions  of  Lecce  baroque  is  M.  Bourget.  His 
criticism  is  particularly  welcome  as  coming  from  an 
amateur  who  confesses  his  ignorance  of  architecture, 
and  proceeds  forthwith  to  a  just  and  discriminating 
analysis  of  its  merits.  We  in  England  are  so  ac- 
customed to  a  contrary  state  of  things,  to  an  idle 
layman  expounding  the  Mistress  Art  to  a  credulous 
audience — influencing  English  taste  far  more  than  any 
architect  can  ever  do  who  merely  builds  well  and  does 
not  theorise — that  we  turn  with  relief  to  the  views  of 
a  writer  so  modest  and  so  gifted. 

On  a  previous  occasion  (p.  19)  his  first  impressions 
of  Lecce  have  been  recalled,  with  a  general  criticism 
of  the  city's  baroque  treasures.  And  he  has  more  to 
say. 

"  The  whole  town  is,  so  to  speak,  simply  one  mass 
of  sculpture  and  detail.  Unnatural  embellishments 
twist  round  palace  balconies,  pilasters  and  pediments 
appear  one  in  front  of  another.  Churches  display 
facades  adorned  fantastically  with  swags,  figures, 
and  caryatides.  Statues  crown  them,  statues  flank 
them  ...  At  Santa  Croce,  for  instance,  this  elaborate 
fancy  becomes  delirious.  It  is  a  veritable  orgy  of 
what  one  would  call  anywhere  else  bad  taste.  But 
here  the  bad  taste  is  too  intense,  it  revels  in  a  fury 
of  caprice  too  merry  for  the  term  to  keep  its  proper 
meaning,  the  more  so  as  on  this  shining  chiselled  front 


Photn  hy  Karbieri.  I.tae 


22.      THE    CATHEDRAL,    LECCE  :    INTERIOR 


p.  248] 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  249 

an  almost  Eastern  light  blazes;  and,  when  fancy 
remains  so  much  alive,  when  the  harmony  of  flagged 
streets,  the  freshness  of  the  shadows,  the  geniality  of 
the  sun,  all  combine  so  happily  round  this  archi- 
tectural paradox,  the  idea  of  bad  taste  cannot  even 
come  into  one's  head.  The  eye  is  charmed  to  the 
point  of  being  dazzled,  the  mind  pleased  almost  to 
ravishment  by  this  mannerism  in  stone,  which  lies 
like  a  piece  of  guipure-lace  or  embroidery,  in  the 
midst  of  the  little  city."  ^ 

The  reader,  however,  must  have  realised  already 
that  this  criticism  applies  indiscriminately  to  Lecce 
baroque  as  a  whole,  taking  no  account  of  the  three 
very  distinct  divisions  already  mentioned. 

The  mediaeval  influence  so  apparent  in  the  sixteenth 
century  has  disappeared  in  the  later  periods,  but  the 
effect  of  it  is  by  no  means  lost. 

The  last  striking  contrast  is  between  the  frequently 
spacious  arrangement  of  Roman  baroque  and  the 
confined  town  sites  available  in  Lecce.  A  lingering 
fear  of  war  kept  the  Lecce  patrician  within  his  city 
walls,  and  thus  deprived  him  of  a  garden  or  of  any 
opportunity  of  placing  his  house  amid  effective  sur- 
roundings. Yet  it  is  perhaps  in  the  narrow  little 
winding  streets  that  the  chief  charm  of  this  city  lies. 

The  numerous  churches  of  Lecce  form  an  interesting 
series,  dating  from  1520  to  1728,  and  hardly  any  city 
of  the  size  could  display  greater  variety.  The  first 
little  group  comprises  three  chapels :  San  Marco, 
Santa  Elisabetta,  and  San  Sebastiano.  The  dates  ot 
two  of  these  are  known,  and  Santa  Elisabetta  re- 
sembles them  so  closely  that  it  can  hardly  fail  to 
be  their  contemporary. 

Bourget,  pp.  229-230.     See  Bibliography.     M.  S.  B.'s  translation. 


250  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

All  are  small,  and  all  are  perfectly  plain  on  plan, 
ornament  being  restricted  to  the  facade.  There  is 
not,  however,  that  appearance  of  the  fagade  being 
a  separate  piece  of  stonework  stuck  on  to  the  church, 
with  no  regard  for  the  size  or  shape  of  the  latter. 
This  fault  is  associated  with  later  work.  These  early 
fagades  are  well  designed  as  part  of  the  structures,  M 
and  the  angle  of  the  building  is  not  ignored.  The 
doorway  is  in  each  case  central,  treated  as  the 
principal  feature,  with  pilasters  or  columns,  and  a 
richly  decorated  pediment  or  cornice  above.  Over 
this  is  a  beautiful  rose-window  with  deeply  recessed 
and  heavily  enriched  mouldings,  a  direct  survival 
from  the  Middle  Ages.  The  facade  is  usually  broken 
by  plinth  and  string  course,  of  refined  contour,  and 
finished  with  a  horizontal  cornice  or  a  raking  mould- 
ing indicating  the  roof  line.  The  doors  are  usually 
heavily  panelled  and  moulded.  The  only  strictly 
baroque  feature  of  these  little  chapels  is  to  be  found 
in  the  fanciful  detail  and  carving. 

Santa  Croce,  commenced  in  1549,  is  a  curious 
problem.  We  know  that  the  facade  was  not  finished 
till  1697,  and  the  upper  part  appears  to  be  late  in 
date ;  yet  most  of  the  detail  is  early.  Here  again  we 
have  the  rose-window  in  profusion,  the  one  in  the 
centre  being  really  magnificent.  There  are  several 
features  in  this  fagade  unsurpassed  in  Lecce,  especially 
the  statuary  and  carving.  This  fact  makes  it  the 
more  regrettable  that  the  general  design  is  as  bad 
as  it  can  be,  for  some  of  the  detail  is  remarkably 
fine.  The  interior  too  is  difficult  to  criticise  fairly 
from  the  point  of  view  of  development,  being  a  strange 
mixture  of  florid  detail.  The  plan  is  interesting  for 
purposes     of     comparison,    showing     cross-vaulting 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


23.       CHURCH    OF   THE    CAkMINK,    LECCH  :     INTRUIOR 


P-   250] 


I 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  251 

throughout,  except  for  the   dome    over   the  crossing 
and  the  flat  ceiling  of  the  nave. 

In   the   last   quarter   of  the   sixteenth   century   the 
Jesuits   and  the  Teatini   founded  two   of  the  largest 
churches  in  Lecce,  which  have  many  points  in  common, 
and  form  an  interesting  comparison.     At  first  glance 
the    two    facades    appear    very    much    alike,    but    the 
differences  soon  become  apparent.     Both  are  severely 
treated,  as  severity  goes  in  Lecce,  and   are   a   great 
contrast   to   Santa   Croce,   good   alike   in    proportion 
and  in  grouping  of  ornament.     The  interiors  are  not 
cross-vaulted,  the  ceilings  being  flat  or  barrelled,  with 
a  dome  over  the  crossing  in  the  Gesii.     The  archi- 
tecture    proper,    apart    from    over-florid    altars    and 
tombs,  is  severe,  and  is  again  an  improvement  on  Santa 
Croce,  piers  and  pilasters  taking  the  place  of  columns. 
Santa    Maria   delle   Grazie   (1606)    and   the   church 
of  the  Scalze  (1630)  may  be  included  in  this  last  group. 
They  are  both  without  aisles,  have  well-treated  walls 
with  Corinthian  pilasters,  the  former  a  richly  coffered 
flat    ceiling,   the    latter    a    barrel-vault.     The    fagades 
in  both    cases  are    comparatively  restrained,  though 
decidedly  baroque  in  character.      It  is  interesting  to 
compare  them  with  the  cathedral  at  Gallipoli  of  almost 
exactly  the  same  date  (1629,  see  p.  316). 

The  fully  developed  baroque  period^  lasting  approxi- 
mately from  1660  to  1 7 10,  is  inaugurated  by  the  re- 
building of  the  Duomo  in  1658,  and  includes  a  great 
number  of  the  churches  of  Lecce,  not  less  than  four- 
teen, in  addition  to  the  new  fagade  at  S.  Nicolo  e 
Cataldo. 

Half  of  these  were  the  work  of  Zimbalo  and  his 
pupil  Cino,  and  thus  possess  a  certain  family  likeness. 
They  are  not  all  an  advance  on  Sant'  Irene  and  the 


252  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Gesii,  and  most  of  the  facades  are  inferior,  the  Duomo 
and  San  Antonio  being  the  best.  S.  Nicolo  e  Cataldo 
has  good  detail  but  forms  a  bad  silhouette,  the  Car- 
mine a  Httle  too  much  rustication,  whilst  almost  every 
example  is  spoilt  by  the  defect  already  mentioned — 
the  want  of  connection  between  fagade  and  nave 
walls.  Planning  ranges  from  the  simple  grandeur 
of  the  Duomo  to  the  eccentric  artificiality  of  the 
Carmine,  where  the  nave  is  octagonal,  the  crossing 
domed  on  pendentives,  the  transepts  cross-vaulted, 
and  the  choir  barrelled.  The  Rosario  is  in  the  shape 
of  a  huge  Greek  cross,  Santa  Chiara  is  an  octagon, 
San  Matteo  a  round-ended  oblong,  the  Sacrament  an 
oval.  Santa  Teresa  has  oval  domes  over  its  nave 
chapels,  the  Alcantarine  church  is  partly  cross-vaulted 
and  partly  barrelled,  while  the  Duomo  has  a  flat 
ceiling.  In  nearly  every  case  Corinthian  or  Com- 
posite pilasters  carry  a  clerestory  wall.  The  most 
sensational  interior  is  the  Carmine,  and  certainly  it  is 
one  of  the  most  successful.  Lofty,  bold,  and  original, 
it  shows  the  baroque  style  at  its  maturity  and  at 
its  best. 

The  very  different  style  of  the  Duomo  is  no  less 
pleasing,  and  possesses  the  characteristic  of  all  these 
churches — abundance  of  light.  Apart  from  the  facade, 
they  have,  with  a  few  exceptions,  bare  exterior  walls ; 
the  west  end  or  a  transept  usually  facing  the  street. 
In  some  cases  these  neglected  elevations  are  incon- 
spicuous, in  others  the  defect  is  glaringly  apparent, 
and  reminds  us  of  another  common  fault — that  the 
back  of  a  fagade  is  seldom  carved.  Hence,  if  it  be 
higher  than  the  church  to  which  it  is  attached,  as  is 
frequently  the  case,  the  back  view  is  ugly  and  shabby 
to   a   degree.      In    S.    Nicolo   e   Cataldo,  indeed,  the 


s'^r.jVii 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


p.  252] 


24.       S.    NICOLU    E    CATAI.DO,    LECCE  :    THE    BAROQUE    FACADE 
(By  permission  of  T/ie  Architectural  Review) 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  253 

effect  from  the  city  prejudices  a  visitor  against  the 
church  before  ever  he  sees  it.  Two  other  large 
churches,  Santa  Teresa  and  Santa  Chiara,  have  the 
fagades  left  incomplete,  awaiting  the  startling  gables 
and  statues  which  never  have  arrived.  The  Duomo 
campanile  is  the  only  important  tower  in  the  city, 
as  a  small  bell-turret  or  a  wide-spread  dome  is  the 
usual  rule ;  and  if  compared  with  other  local  examples 
will  be  seen  to  possess  a  possible  kinship  with  those 
of  a  mediaeval  age  (see  fig.  12).  There  can  be  few 
cities  where  the  number  of  stone  statues  per  head  of 
flesh-and-blood  citizens  can  stand  higher  than  in 
Lecce.  Finally,  one  of  the  best  features  in  these 
churches  is  the  excellent  way  in  which  painted 
ceilings  and  wall-pictures  are  suited  to  the  archi- 
tectural design. 

It  may  be  added  here  that  the  only  church  built  in 
modern  times,  Santa  Maria  della  Porta  (1855-8)  is  of 
remarkably  good  design — quite  in  character  with  the 
existing  buildings,  yet  undeniably  modern.  Outside 
the  gardens,  on  the  road  leading  to  San  Cataldo,  is 
a  huge  new  monastic  church  just  completed  in  a 
Gothic  manner. 

In  the  matter  of  palaces  and  town-houses,  Lecce 
baroque  is  perhaps  ahead  of  its  churches.  In  the 
larger  examples  a  wide  and  handsome  arched  door- 
way, surmounted  by  heraldry  and  a  carved  balcony 
(figs.  28,  29),  leads  through  an  archway  cross-vaulted 
or  barrelled  into  a  cortile  (figs.  30,  37).  The  floor 
of  archway  and  cortile  is  invariably  well  paved  and 
drained.  The  entrance  doorway,  though  always  in- 
teresting, heavily  moulded,  and  richly  ornamented, 
has  usually  something  of  the  same  character.  In  the 
cortile,  if  large  enough,  a  little  square  garden  is  often 


254  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

found  with  palms  and  blossom.  The  doors  or  gates 
to  the  streets  are  stoutly  made  in  oak  with  a  wicket, 
and  are  panelled — the  panels  being  moulded.  Occa- 
sionally a  fanlight  is  found  filling  a  semicircle  over 
the  doors.  The  facade  is,  as  a  rule,  not  rusticated, 
and  the  joints  of  the  stonework  so  closely  cut  as  to 
be  invisible,  so  that  an  effect  of  stucco  walling  is 
produced.  The  ground-floor  seldom  has  large  win- 
dows, these  being  found,  as  in  the  earlier  Renaissance 
examples,  on  the  "piano  primo"  or  "  nobile."  Lecce 
window-heads  of  the  plainer  sort  closely  resemble 
those  in  Yorkshire  cottages ;  but  are  for  the  most  part 
more  elaborate,  with  broken  pediments  and  brackets 
at  times.  The  Hotel  Patria,  an  old  palace  of  the 
plainer  kind,  has  an  excellent  system  of  fenestration. 
The  Municipio,  in  a  narrow  but  important  street,  is 
almost  severe  in  spite  of  two  rows  of  bull's-eye 
windows ;  and  is  one  of  the  best  designs  in  the  city — 
the  wall-surfaces  broken  only  by  flat  Corinthian 
pilasters  into  large  shallow  panels  with  a  high 
moulded  plinth.  Large  and  small  palaces  alike  have 
little  iron  balconies  resting  on  richly  carved  stone 
brackets — one  of  the  most  obvious  traces  of  mediaeval 
and  Spanish  influence ;  and  on  these  balconies  are 
placed  flower-pots — often  with  trailing  creepers  hang- 
ing down  over  the  carved  work  beneath.  Light  and 
shade  are  thus  produced,  and  the  fine  open-arched 
loggie  occasionally  found  in  the  upper  storey  form 
a  deep  black  shadow  attractive  to  him  of  the 
pencil  (fig.  i).  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  the 
smaller  examples  are  any  less  interesting  than  the 
large  palaces.  Figs.  3  and  32  show  how  excellent 
some  of  the  former  are,  and  give  an  earnest  of  the 
quaint  and  romantic  variety  of  Lecce  streets.     Almost 


I 


aF-"ti      ^  U^m^t      -^ 


«     rjfcp^# 


I'  1^' 


/ 


'i 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  255 

every  street  corner  is  decorated  by  a  column  built 
into  a  chase  on  the  external  angle,  bearing  a  heraldic 
shield  or  some  device ;  and  at  a  corner  near  Santa 
Croce  all  four  angles  have  different  columns  and 
shields. 

Two  large  secular  buildings  stand  out  by  reason 
of  their  size,  elaboration,  and  originality.  Zimbalo's 
Prefettura,  built  by  him  as  part  of  the  monastery  of 
Santa  Croce,  is  an  extraordinary  piece  of  work ;  and 
Cino's  Seminario  (1694-1709)  must  have  been  inspired 
by  it,  as  there  is  a  close  similarity  in  the  two  works — 
the  differences  being  explained  by  a  few  years  of 
development  intervening,  and  by  a  divergence  in  two 
men's  taste — master  and  pupil  though  they  were.  The 
Vescovado  is  an  interesting  building ;  but  I  have  been 
unable  to  discover  the  date  of  its  erection  ;  and  it  is 
so  unlike  anything  else  in  Lecce  that  it  is  difficult  to 
place  it.  The  little  Sedile,  as  has  already  been  said, 
is  an  architectural  problem,  although  its  date  is 
known,  and  cannot  be  regarded  as  having  any  bearing 
on  architectural  development. 

Before  passing  to  a  few  characteristic  points  in 
Lecce  architecture,  the  reader  is  referred  for  further  in- 
formation as  to  the  various  buildings  to  the  Appendix, 
which  savours  too  much  of  the  guide-book  to  be 
included  as  part  of  the  story  of  Lecce,  and  which  will 
probably  only  be  of  use  to  a  student  or  a  visitor. 
Besides  criticism  of  churches  and  palaces,  something 
is  there  said  of  the  three  large  gates  which  are  such 
a  feature  of  the  city. 

The  following   are   the  principal  characteristics  of 
the  mature  baroque  style  in  Lecce. 
The  classic  orders  are  freely  employed,  but  usually 


256  IN    THE    HEEL  OF    ITALY 

in  a  greatly  modified  or  rather  exaggerated  form — tlie 
Corinthian  forming  the  basis.  Columns  are  often 
broken  by  a  necking  or  band  at  one-third  of  their 
height ;  and  where  this  band  is  of  any  size  the  effect 
is  bad.  Less  frequently  they  are  decorated  with 
delicate  arabesques  or  spirally  fluted.  Capitals  dis- 
play all  manner  of  shapes,  and  frequently  recall 
Byzantine  types. 

The  pilaster,  however,  is  used  much  more  than  the 
column  in  fa9ades,  wall  panelling,  and  church  interiors. 
Pediments  are  fairly  steep,  sometimes  curved  over 
doorways,  often  broken.  The  difficult  problem  of 
joining  the  upper  and  narrow  part  of  a  fagade  to  the 
lower  is  generally  very  well  solved.  Openings  are 
well  proportioned,  and  the  subdivision  into  panels, 
lights,  or  panes  is  equally  successful.  Balustrades, 
though  almost  always  rococo,  are  also  suitably  de- 
signed with  a  view  to  the  heavy  brackets  beneath 
them.  One  of  the  strangest  details  is  the  triangular 
plan  of  projecting  brackets  to  carry  statues  and 
pedestals  beneath  columns.  Chimneys,  as  usual  in 
Italy,  are  concealed  wherever  possible,  and  follow  the 
normal  pyramidal  shape,  with  openings  on  all  sides 
just  below. 

One  of  the  most  curious  mediaeval  relics  is  the 
dosseret,  freely  employed  in  the  interior  of  the 
largest  churches.  Finials  are  sometimes  like  our  own 
Elizabethan  examples,  sometimes  in  the  very  ugly 
and  clumsy  form  of  a  huge  pineapple.  Grotesques 
survive  as  brackets  beneath  the  Santa  Croce  balus- 
trade ;  but  shells,  acanthus  foliage,  and  swags  are 
the  best  forms  of  ornament  to  be  found  in  Lecce. 
Ornament,  however,  is  nearly  always  good,  the  fault 
lying  in  its  misapplication.     Even  the  filling  of  spaces 


.1/.  ^^  B.  del. 


27.       ENTRANCE   TO   THE    PIAZZA    DEL    DUOMO,    LECCE 


P-   256] 


\\ 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  257 

is  invariably  correct,  heraldry  is  bold  and  well  carved, 
strapwork  delicate  and  interesting. 

These  buildings  are  almost  entirely  in  the  golden 
local  stone,  easily  carved  but  of  good  weathering 
properties.  If  only  the  architect  of  most  of  Lecce's 
buildings  could  have  left  this  stone  to  speak  for  itself, 
instead  of  covering  his  walls  with  geometrical  rustica- 
tion, the  artistic  value  of  his  buildings  would  be 
doubled.  The  interiors  have  the  main  features  in 
stone,  the  wall  surfaces,  spandrils,  etc.,  being  in 
plaster.  Roofs  of  houses  and  palaces  are  flat,  glazed 
and  coloured  tiles  being  employed  for  covering  domes, 
and  thus  giving  a  welcome  touch  of  brightness.  Some 
of  the  small  domes  over  the  church  aisles  appear  to 
be  covered  with  concrete.  The  ironwork  of  balconies, 
altar-rails,  and  fanlights  is  delicate  and  graceful 
without  exception. 

These  last  paragraphs  are  little  more  than  memor- 
anda, and  do  not  venture  into  the  byways  of  aesthetics. 
They  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  plates  of 
the  buildings  referred  to. 

It  is,  indeed,  from  the  plates  that  the  reader  must 
form  his  own  judgment  of  the  baroque  style  in  Lecce, 
after  reading  this  chapter.  He  may  refer  to  some 
photographs  of  contemporary  work  in  Rome,  and 
thus  make  some  sort  of  comparison. 

But  that  is  not  enough.  The  fascination  of  a  city 
cannot  be  felt  by  studying  innumerable  photographs, 
or  by  reading  an  unlimited  number  of  books. 

If  the  reader  has  thought  on  parallel  lines  with  the 
author  he  will  come  to  the  conclusion  that  although 
there  are  many  glaring  faults  in  these  buildings, 
eccentricities  and  weaknesses  withal,  they  have  many 

17 


258  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

strong  points  in  their  favour.  They  are  interesting, 
picturesque,  and  bold ;  they  possess  many  details 
which  no  architect  need  be  ashamed  to  study  ;  and  in 
combination  they  produce  some  of  the  most  beautiful 
little  streets  in  Europe. 

It  is  no  small  thing  for  a  remote  and  practically 
unknown  city  to  produce  a  style  so  unique,  and  to 
have  retained  its  charms  intact  after  a  lapse  of  several 
centuries.  An  Italian  style  of  architecture  is  not  to  be 
judged  solely  on  the  grounds  of  its  fitness  for  adoption 
in  a  London  street,  for  a  tube  station,  asylum,  or 
garage.  It  must  be  viewed  in  its  surroundings ;  and 
let  him  who  has  walked  through  the  streets  of  Lecce 
deny  its  attractions  in  its  native  place. 

Lecce  Architects  and  Painters 

It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  in  one  respect 
the  Gothic  period  of  art  lacks  the  interest  of  the 
Renaissance :  its  greatest  achievements  are  anony- 
mous. We  have  no  anecdotes  of  the  mediaeval 
architects  to  compare  with  Cellini's  Memoirs,  or  those 
of  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  so  that  the  personal  element 
is  entirely  absent. 

Unfortunately,  though  we  know  the  names  of  many 
who  helped  to  make  Lecce  a  beautiful  city,  little  is 
recorded  of  their  lives.  The  first  baroque  buildings 
were  erected  under  the  supervision  of  a  sculptor- 
architect  in  many  cases.  Such  a  one  was  Gabriele 
Riccardo — "  Beli  Licciardo,"  his  friends  called  him 
(for  a  professional  man  often  bore  a  nickname  in  those 
days),  born  at  Lecce  early  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
He  reached  manhood's  estate  in  time  to  be  entrusted 
with  the  great  church  and  monastery  of  Santa  Croce, 


\ 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  259 

commenced  in  1549,  and  in  that  work  it  certainly 
would  appear  that  a  sculptor's  hand  played  an  im- 
portant part.  In  this  connection  something  must  be 
said  of  the  very  high  standard  of  Lecce  statuary. 
The  majority  of  the  figures  on  Lecce  church  facades 
are  remarkably  fine,  boldly  posed  and  boldly  treated, 
saints  and  Madonnas  alike,  with  a  blissful  and  re- 
freshing regard  for  anything  in  the  nature  of  a 
religious  atmosphere.  They  play  so  important  a 
part  in  designs  of  the  period — early  and  late — that  to 
sculptors  must  be  ascribed  half  the  credit  for  any 
success  there  may  be.  Riccardo,  of  course,  can  only 
have  worked  on  the  earlier  examples,  but  on  the 
S.  Nicolo  fagade  the  figures  closely  resemble  those  at 
Santa  Croce,  and  S.  Nicolo  himself  is  probably  from 
his  chisel.  He  worked  on  other  statues  in  the  city, 
and  carved  some  capitals  at  Otranto  which  bear  the 
date  1524.  It  is  an  interesting  relic  of  contemporary 
social  life  to  hear  that  his  brother  very  capably  com- 
bined saddlery  and  theology. 

About  the  same  time  a  very  different  architect  was 
in  practice — Gianiacopo  deW  A  cay  a,  a  military  architect 
like  his  father,  Alfonso  of  that  ilk,  who  restored  the 
tower  of  Segine  in  1506.  The  family  was  an  old  one. 
and  came  from  France  with  Charles  1.  of  Anjou, 
Segine  was  one  of  their  fiefs,  Galugnano  and  part  of 
San  Cesario  being  others.  They  were  large  land- 
owners in  the  Terra  d' Otranto,  but  their  name 
probably  was  spelt  "  La  Haye "  in  French.  One  of 
Gianiacopo's  first  commissions — we  may  presume  his 
very  first — was  to  completely  rebuild  the  long-suffering 
Segine  tower,  his  first  important  one  to  rebuild  the 
Castello  of  Lecce  (1539).  Nine  years  later  he  rebuilt 
for  the  Dominican  friars  of  San  Giovanni  d'  Aymo  the 


26o  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

large  conventual  establishment  where  the  Rosario 
now  stands.  His  principal  works  outside  Lecce 
were  the  castles  of  Capua,  Cosenza,  and  St.  Elmo  at 
Naples.^ 

The  church  of  the  Teresiani  Scalze  (1630)  was  the 
work  of  a  cleric,  Michele  Colutio ;  and  Cesare  Penna 
followed  Riccardo  at  Santa  Croce ;  while  at  San 
Matteo  we  have  the  name  of  both  architect  and 
sculptor  preserved,  Achille  Carducci  and  Cesare  Boffelli. 
A  more  tangible  figure  is  that  of  Maestro  Giuseppe 
Zimbalo — commonly  called  "  Zingarello  " — the  architect 
of  the  Duomo.  When  it  was  decided  to  rebuild  the 
Duomo  in  1658  the  clerical  authorities  did  not  wish 
to  select  an  architect  from  outside  the  city,  and  at 
length  settled  upon  Zingarello.  We  do  not  know 
if  it  was  before  this  that  he  was  appointed  to  supervise 
the  last  stage  of  Santa  Croce,  or  whether  he  had 
already  established  a  reputation.  If  so,  it  received 
a  severe  jar  in  1663,  when  a  large  section  of  the 
rapidly  rising  walls  of  the  new  fabric  collapsed  one 
fine  night.  The  vigorous  bishop  lost  no  time  in 
taking  action  against  unhappy  Zingarello,  who  fled 
to  the  church  of  Sant'  Angelo,  and  did  not  dare  to 
come  out  from  that  sanctuary  until  he  had  arranged 
with  the  Chapter  to  repair  the  damage.  The  chronicler 
does  not  tell  us  if  this  amount  came  out  of  his  office 
expenses.  Lecce  patrons,  however,  do  not  seem  to 
have  taken  this  accident  deeply  to  heart,  for  Zin- 
garello's  practice  continued  to  grow  steadily.  For 
the  city  authorities  he  did  a  good  deal  of  work   in 

'  Outside  his  professional  career  we  have  one  fact  recorded  of  this 
architect,  that  he  turned  the  houses  he  owned  in  Lecce  into  a  church 
and  convent  for  the  Friars  Minor.  This  presumably  would  be  after  his 
death,  and  would  thus  form  a  bequest. 


29-       PALACE   OPPOSITE   THE    LICEO,    LECCE 


I 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  261 

beautifying  the  Piazza  Sant'  Oronzo,  and  later  in  his 
life  rebuilt  the  large  church  of  the  Rosario,  one  of  the 
most  bizarre  in  Lecce. 

A  suspicious  incident  marked  the  building  of  the 
Duomo.  A  plague  was  feared  in  the  city,  but  passed 
off.  The  following  year  a  special  effort  was  made 
to  raise  a  fund  to  meet  expenses.  The  clergy 
generously  offered  a  large  proportion  of  their  tithes, 
about  ;^7oo  a  year,  the  citizens  ;^6,ooo,  while  the 
bishop  presented  two  hundred  cartloads  of  lime, 
which,  by  a  curious  chance,  he  had  laid  in  during 
the  plague  scare.  We  know  that  Pappacoda  was  an 
enterprising  saint,  and  hesitate  for  a  motive  between 
a  zeal  for  sanitary  measures  and  what  is  now  techni- 
cally known  as  a  "  corner "  in  lime.  Zimbalo  was 
succeeded  as  the  fashionable  architect  in  Lecce  by 
Giuseppe  Cino,  his  pupil.  Cino  essayed  a  little  writing, 
and  left  a  work  on  architecture,  which  I  have  un- 
fortunately been  unable  to  trace. 

The  last  of  the  Lecce  architects  of  note,  his  design 
may  be  judged  in  the  Seminario,  and  in  three  churches 
of  some  size. 

Of  local  painters,  too,  a  few  scanty  records  remain. 
There  was  one,  Andrea  da  Lecce,  in  the  second  half 
of  the  fifteenth  century,  who  has  left  a  couple  of 
authentic  works,  and  a  more  interesting  character  of 
the  same  period,  Matteo  da  Lecce.  Born  in  Lecce, 
he  was  educated  in  Rome  by  Cecchin  del  Salviati, 
one  of  Michelangelo's  imitators,  and  he,  too,  followed 
in  that  great  master's  footsteps,  though  with  little 
success,  it  is  true.  For  some  years  he  painted  in 
Rome,  where  Gregory  XIII.  commissioned  him  to 
decorate  the  entrance  wall  of  the  Sistine  Chapel, 
opposite    Michelangelo's    great   fresco    of    "Justice." 


262  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

There  is  so  little  light  on  this  wall  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  see  anything  of  Matteo's  work,  but  it 
is  of  no  great  merit.  After  a  number  of  other 
paintings  in  Rome,  he  moved  to  Spain,  where  for 
many  years  he  worked  under  the  name  of  "  Matteo 
Perez  d'Alessi,"  and  at  Seville  painted  in  the  Cathedral 
a  gigantic  Saint  Christopher,  thirty-two  feet  high,  for 
which  he  was  paid  ;^8oo.  He  then  lived  for  a  long 
time  in  Malta,  where  at  least  three  of  his  canvases 
remain,  and  spent  his  last  years  in  Lecce.  Before  he 
left  Malta  he  had  already  given  up  painting  for  more 
profitable  commercial  pursuits,  and  in  his  native  town 
squandered  his  large  fortune  thus  acquired  on  chemical 
experiments,  apparently  with  a  view  to  manufacturing 
precious  stones.  A  man  of  parts,  he  wrote  a  "  Storia 
della  Guerra  di  Malta "  and  a  poem  entitled  "  II 
Trionfo  di  Cristo."  ^ 

All  subsequent  Lecce  painters  belonged  to  the  later 
Neapolitan  school,  and  share  its  characteristics.  In 
London  it  is  known  to  students  by  a  few  dull  and 
unimaginative  examples  such  as  Salvator  Rosa's  land- 
scapes in  the  National  Gallery  and  the  Wallace 
collection.  Its  principal  characteristic  is  a  free  use 
of  naturalistic  elements,  and  a  large  proportion  of  its 
productions  are  below  mediocrity. 

The  pictures  gathered  in  the  churches,  museum,  and 
liceo  of  Lecce  are  a  representative  collection  by  its 
principal  exponents,  and  are  as  a  whole  worthy  of  a 
city  of  Lecce's  size  and  importance ;  though  of  course 
inferior  to  the  galleries  in  Tuscan  and  Lombard  towns. 

Luca  Giordano  is  represented  by  at  least  five 
works  in  Lecce  and  Giuseppe  Ribcra  (nicknamed  "  Lo 
Spagnoletto  ")  by  a  fine  portrait  of  an  old  man  (No.  32, 
'  A  picture  by  Matteo  da  Lecce  is  said  to  be  at  Windsor. 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


30.       PALAZZO    CONTE    CASTRIOTA,    LECCE 


p.  362] 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  263 

about  2  ft.  6  in.  X  2  ft.)  in  the  Museum.  Another 
large  portrait  of  San  Francesco,  a  bearded  monk,  in 
the  Museum  appears  to  be  by  his  hand,  and  is  a 
striking  piece  of  work.  Ribera  was  a  native  of 
Gallipoli,  where  his  portrait  may  be  seen  in  the 
Museum.  During  his  busy  life  (i 588-1656)  he  painted 
a  number  of  portraits,  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of 
his  school.  He  was  a  follower  of  Caravaggio,  generally 
regarded  as  its  founder. 

Salvator  Rosa,  who,  as  we  know,  has  pictures  in 
London,  is  represented  by  a  picture  in  the  Lecce 
Museum,  which  closely  resembles  them. 

The  two  most  worthy  of  Lecce  painters  were  the 
Verrios,  Antonio  and  Giuseppe.  Professor  de  Simone, 
who  knew  more  about  Lecce  than  any  man  before 
his  day  or  since,  is  convinced  that  Antonio  Verrio  was 
not  the  celebrated  artist  who  came  to  England,  but 
his  father  or  uncle,  and  that  it  is  Giuseppe  whose 
doings  are  chronicled  by  Walpole  under  Antonio's 
name.  He  gives  apparently  conclusive  proof,  and  we 
will  accept  his  decision. 

Antonio,  then,  must  have  been  born  in  Lecce  in  the 
first  years  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  began  his 
artistic  studies  very  early  in  life,  learning  from  a  local 
master.  He  then  went  to  Venice  for  a  short  time 
and  afterwards  returned  to  Lecce,  working  much  for 
churches  and  for  wealthy  patrons.  He  was  fortunate 
in  securing  the  favour  of  the  Jesuits,  and  received 
various  commissions  from  them.  He  then  migrated 
to  Naples,  and  painted  in  the  Collegio  del  Gesu 
Vecchio.  He  journeyed  to  France,  and  there,  strange 
to  say,  became  a  Huguenot,  abjuring  his  Catholicism. 
He  was  extremely  fond  of  travelling,  and  met  his 
death  while  on  a  jaunt. 


264  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

"  He  was  one  of  a  gay  crowd  of  merrymakers  on 
a  pleasure-boat,  and  during  feasting  and  mirth  the 
question  of  swimming  came  under  discussion.  A  bet 
was  laid  against  any  one  covering  a  given  distance 
in  the  sea.  Antonio  said  he  could  manage  that  and 
more.  He  threw  himself  into  the  sea,  was  drowned, 
and  none  helped  him  with  the  skill  they  had  learned 
and  possessed." 

Giuseppe  Verrio  (commonly  called  Antonio)  thus 
figures  in  Walpole's  "Anecdotes  of  Painting": 

"An  excellent  painter  for  the  sort  of  subjects  on 
which  he  was  employed ;  that  is,  without  much 
invention  and  with  less  taste,  his  exuberant  pencil 
was  ready  at  pouring  out  gods,  goddesses,  kings, 
emperors,  and  triumphs  over  those  public  spaces  on 
which  the  eye  never  rests  long  enough  to  criticise, 
and  where  one  would  be  sorry  to  place  the  works 
of  a  better  master ;  I  mean  ceilings  and  staircases. 
The  New  Testament  or  the  Roman  History  cost  him 
nothing  but  ultramarine ;  that  and  marble  columns 
and  marble  steps  he  never  spared.  He  first  settled 
in  France  and  painted  the  high  altar  of  the  Carmelites 
at  Toulouse.  .  .  .  Charles  II.  having  a  mind  to  revive 
the  manufacture  of  tapestry  at  Mortlake,  which  had 
been  interrupted  by  the  Civil  War,  sent  for  Verrio 
to  England;  but,  changing  his  purpose,  consigned  over 
Windsor  to  his  pencil.  The  King  was  induced  to  this 
by  seeing  some  of  his  painting  at  Lord  Arlington's 
at  the  end  of  St.  James's  Park,  where  at  present  stands 
Buckingham  House.  The  first  picture  Verrio  drew  for 
the  King  was  His  Majesty  in  naval  triumph,  now  in 
the  public  dining-room  in  the  Castle.  He  executed 
most  of  the  ceilings  there,  one  whole  side  of  St. 
George's  Hall  and  the  chapel.  On  the  ceiling  of  the 
former  he  has  pictured  Antony,  Earl  of  Shaftesbury, 
in  the  character  of  Faction,  dispersing  libels ;   as  in 


p.  264] 


jl.       FACJADE   OF    THE    PREFETTURA,    LECCE 
(By  permission  of  The  ArchitecUtral  Hevie^u) 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


.X 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  265 

another  place  he  revenged  a  private  quarrel  with  the 
housekeeper,  Mrs.  Marriot,  by  borrowing  her  ugly 
face  for  one  of  the  Furies.  With  still  greater  im- 
propriety he  has  introduced  himself,  Sir  Godfrey 
Kneller,  and  Bap.  May,  surveyor  of  the  works,  in 
long  periwigs,  as  spectators  of  Christ  healing  the 
sick.  He  is  recorded  as  operator  of  all  these  gaudy 
works  in  a  large  inscription  over  the  tribune  at  the 
end  of  the  hall.  .  .  .  The  King  paid  him  generously. 
Vertue  met  with  a  memorandum  of  moneys  he  received 
for  his  performances  at  Windsor,  As  the  comparison 
of  prices  in  different  ages  may  be  one  of  the  most 
useful  parts  of  this  work,  and  as  it  is  remembered 
what  Annibal  Caracci  received  for  his  glorious  labour 
in  the  Farnese  palace  at  Rome  " — 

[Here  follows  the  account,  amounting  to  ^5,545  Ss.  4ci. 
Also  appended  are  other  items  from  private  clients, 
making  a  total  of  ^^7,945  8s.  4^/.] 

"  The  King's  bounty  did  not  stop  here ;  Verrio  had 
a  place  of  master-gardener,  and  a  lodging  at  the  end 
of  the  Park,  now  Carleton  House.  He  was  expensive 
and  kept  a  great  table,  and  often  pressed  the  King 
for  money  with  a  freedom  which  His  Majesty's  own 
frankness  often  indulged.  When  he  had  but  lately 
received  an  advance  of  a  thousand  pounds,  he  found 
the  King  in  such  a  circle  that  he  could  not  approach. 
He  called  out  '  Sire,  I  desire  the  favour  of  speaking 
to  your  Majesty.'  '  Well,  Verrio,'  said  the  King,  '  what 
is  your  request?'  'Money,  sir;  I  am  so  short  in 
cash  that  I  am  not  able  to  pay  my  workmen,  and 
your  Majesty  and  I  have  learned  by  experience  that 
pedlars  and  painters  cannot  give  credit  long.'  The 
King  smiled,  and  said  he  had  but  lately  ordered  him 
;^i,ooo.  '  Yes,  sir,'  replied  he,  '  but  that  was  soon  paid 
away,  and  I  have  no  gold  left.'     '  At  that  rate/  said 


266  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

the  King,  '  you  would  spend  more  than  I  do  to 
maintain  my  family.'  '  True,'  answered  Verrio,  '  but 
does  your  Majesty  keep  an  open  table  as  I  do?' 

"  He  gave  the  designs  for  the  large  equestrian 
picture  of  that  monarch  in  the  hall  at  Chelsea  College  ; 
but  it  was  finished  by  Cook  and  presented  by  Lord 
Ranelagh.  On  the  accession  of  James  IL  Verrio  was 
again  employed  at  Windsor,  in  Wolsey's  tomb-house, 
then  destined  as  a  Romish  chapel.  He  painted  that 
king  and  several  of  his  courtiers  in  the  hospital  of 
Christ  Church,  London.  Among  other  portraits  there 
is  Dr.  Hawes,  a  physician  ;  Vertue  saw  the  original 
head,  from  which  he  translated  it  into  the  great  piece, 
which  Verrio  presented  to  the  hospital.  He  painted 
too  at  that  of  St.  Bartholomew.  The  Revolution 
was  by  no  means  agreeable  to  Verrio's  religion  or 
principles.  He  quitted  his  place  and  even  refused 
to  work  for  King  William.  From  that  time  he  was 
for  some  years  employed  at  the  Lord  Exeter's  at 
Burleigh,  and  afterwards  at  Chatsworth.  At  the 
former  he  painted  several  chambers,  which  are  reck- 
oned among  his  best  works.  He  has  placed  his  own 
portrait  in  the  room  where  he  represented  the  history 
of  Mars  and  Venus  ;  and  for  the  Bacchus  bestriding 
a  hogshead  he  has,  according  to  his  usual  liberty, 
borrowed  the  countenance  of  a  dean  with  whom  he 
was  at  variance.  At  Chatsworth  is  much  of  his 
hand.  The  altar-piece  in  the  chapel  is  the  best  piece 
I  ever  saw  of  his ;  the  subject,  the  incredulity  of 
St.  Thomas.  He  was  employed,  too,  at  Lowther 
Hall,  but  the  house  has  been  burnt.  At  last,  by 
persuasion  of  Lord  Exeter,  he  condescended  to  serve 
King  William,  and  was  sent  to  Hampton  Court, 
where,  among  other  things,  he  painted  the  great 
staircase,  and  as  ill  as  if  he  had  spoiled  it  out  of 
principle.  His  eyes  failing  him.  Queen  Anne  gave 
him  a  pension  of  ;^20o  a  year  for  life,  but  he  did  not 
enjoy  it  long,  dying  at  Hampton  Court  in  1707." 


p.  266] 


32.       I'ALAZZO    CONTK    BALZO,    LECCE 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


THE    BAROQUE    PERIOD    IN    LECCE  267 

It  is  no  new  thing  for  Walpole  to  be  bitter  and 
hasty  in  criticism.  The  staircase  at  Hampton  Court 
referred  to  ^  can  still  be  seen,  the  colours  as  bright 
as  when  Verrio  finished  it,  and  does  not  appear  in 
the  least  to  justify  this  onslaught. 

The  last  of  the  Lecce  painters  was  Oronzo  Ttso, 
who  lived  from  1730  to  1800,  and  thus  painted  only 
in  the  few  churches  of  the  last  period  of  baroque, 
notably  the  three  great  frescoes  of  the  Duomo  choir. 
His  work,  though  of  no  more  than  local  fame  and 
belonging  to  a  degenerate  period  in  Italy,  in  the 
case  of  these  frescoes  is  perhaps  as  good  as  any 
painting  in  Lecce  ;  broad  in  conception  and  treatment, 
full  of  life  and  colour. 

Gallipoli  produced  two  artists  of  note  besides 
Ribera,  Gian  Andrea  Coppola  and  Count  Nicolb  Malin- 
conicOf  most  of  whose  best  work  is  in  the  Cathedral 
there. 

A  SHORT   LIST   OF   PICTURES   BY   LECCESE 
ARTISTS. 

Andrea  da  Lecce  : 

Sulmona.     (S.  Francesco).        Cappella  Maggiore. 
Atri  Cathedral.  Choir. 

Matted  da  Lecce  : 

Rome.     Sistine  Chapel.  "  Fall  of  rebel  angels." 

„  ,,  „  "  Fight    between    Michael    and 

Lucifer." 
„         S.       Eligio      degli 

orefici.  "  Madonna  and  Saints." 

„         Rotonda.  "  St.  Joseph,"  etc. 

'  The  King's  staircase,  by  which  one  ascends  to  the  State  apart- 
ments. 


268 


IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 


Rome. 

Compagnia 

del 

Gonfaloiie. 

"  A  prophet." 

» 

Compagnia 

del 

Gonfalone. 

"  Four  cardinal  virtues." 

>j 

Rotonda. 

"  Jesus  Christ." 

Seville. 

Cathedral. 

"St.  Christopher"  [1584]. 

Malta. 

S.  Leone,  Bui 

acra. 

"  St.  Catherine." 

>> 

Pal.       of      Grand 

Master. 

"  Story  of  Siege  of  Malta." 

» 

Chiesa  Madre  Con- 

ventuale. 

"  St.  John." 

Antonio  Verrio  : 

Naples.     Coll.     del      Gesu 

Vecchio. 
Lecce.     Chiesa  del  Gesu. 


Liceo. 


Ceiling  of  Pharmacopea  [1661]. 
"  Virgin  uncrowned  and  saints." 
"  Ven.  Bernardino  Realino." 
Another  picture. 
"  Prodigal  Son." 
"  Joseph  before  Pharaoh." 
"  Group  of  angels  and  cherubs." 


"  St.  Francis  appearing  to  Father 
Mastrillo." 


Giuseppe  Verrio  : 

Lecce.     S.  Irene. 

Hampton  Court. 

Windsor. 

Burleigh,  Chatsworth,  etc. 


"  St.  Irene." 
King's  staircase. 
Numerous  works. 


Oronzo  Tiso  : 

Brindisi.     Ch.  degli  Angioli.  "  St.  Thomas  Aquinas." 

Arnesano.     Pal.  Baronale.  "  Woman  taken  in  adultery." 

„  „  ,,  "  Massacre  of  Innocents." 

„  ,,  ,,  Seven  other  religious  subjects. 


M.  S.  B   dd. 


33.      HOUSE    IN    VIA    LEONARDO    PRATO,    LECCE 


p.   268] 


THE  BAROQUE  PERIOD  IN  LECCE 


269 


Lecce.     Duomo. 


S.  Irene. 


S.  Francis  of  Assisi. 
Liceo. 


"  Assumption  "  [1757]. 
"  Noah's  sacrifice  after  Flood." 
"The  Ark"  [1758]. 
"  S.  Vincenza  di  Paola." 
"  The  Ark."  (?) 
"  Jacob  and  Rachel." 
"  S.  Anna  and  the  Madonna." 
"  St.  Anthony  the  Abbot." 
"  St.  Francis  of  Assisi." 
"  Woman  taken  in  adultery." 
"  Tobiulo  and  the  angel." 
"Blessing   of  Jacob"   (six   pic- 
tures). 


GiAN  Andrea  Coppola  (di  Gallipoli)  : 

Lecce.     Liceo.          (Design 

School).  Six  battles. 

,,         Liceo.    (Reception 

Hall).  Eight  battles. 

,,         Duomo.  "  St.  Oronzo." 


In  the  Museum  at  Lecce  there  are  a  number  of 
miscellaneous  pictures  of  much  earlier  date,  mostly 
removed  from  demolished  churches.  Five  are  little 
paintings  on  wood  of  a  Byzantine  type.  Two  smallish 
saints  by  "  Girolamo  di  S.  Croce  "  are  interesting; 
and  there  is  a  very  large  altar-piece  from  the  church 
of  S.  Giovanni  Evangelista  at  Lecce. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   PEOPLE   OF   LECCE 

Almost  every  city  of  importance  has  some  custom 
of  its  own,  some  peculiar  method  in  the  common 
ways  of  life  which  its  citizens  share  with  no  other 
people.  Yet  he  would  be  a  bold  traveller  who  would 
assert  that  such  things  are  to  be  met  with  in  no 
other  town  in  the  world,  merely  because  they  did 
not  enter  into  his  personal  experience  or  his  reading. 
So  if  in  this  chapter  there  are  facts  related  which 
apply  to  other  Italian  towns,  it  must  be  remembered 
that  the  writer's  object  is  to  give  no  more  than  a 
sketch  of  typical  life  in  Lecce,  and  to  illustrate  in 
some  measure  its  literature,  music,  and  dramatic 
efforts. 

The  Leccese  as  we  see  him  in  the  street  is  a  much 
more  attractive  person  than  the  Neapolitan.  He 
lacks  the  latter's  noisy  demeanour ;  he  has  nothing 
of  the  cut-throat  about  him,  no  picturesque  mounte- 
bank swagger ;  yet  he  has  a  charm  in  his  quieter 
personality  that  cannot  fail  to  please.  To  an  observer 
there  appears  none  of  that  posing  which  forms  the 
motif  for  so  many  kodak  enthusiasts.  He  is  interested 
in  his  own  affairs  and  international  politics,  as  are 
most   Italians,  but  a  tourist  visiting  Lecce  does  not 

270 


THE    PEOPLE   OF   LECCE  271 

find  him  the  officious  pest  so  famihar  to  many  voyagers 
in  Southern  Italy. 

The  principal  club  in  Lecce  is  on  the  ground  floor 
of  the  large  block  west  of  the  Via  dei  Tribunali,  and 
consists  of  a  small  suite  of  rather  dark  but  lofty 
rooms,  for  billiards  and  cards,  dining-room  and  ball- 
room. It  differs  little  from  an  English  club  in  its 
premises  and  management. 

The  principal  hotel  also  boasts  of  a  billiard-room, 
though  the  table  is  little  patronised. 

There  are  several  small  and  good  cafes  in  the 
centre  of  the  city,  but,  owing  to  the  narrowness  of 
the  streets,  seats  out-of-doors — such  an  enjoyable 
feature  in  Italy — are  impossible. 

There  is  one  characteristic  which  Lecce  shares  with 
many  other  towns  of  this  land,  its  disproportionate 
allowance  of  barbers'  shops ;  and  another,  less 
common,  a  line  of  shoeblacks,  who  stand  at  the  busy 
corner  of  the  Via  Tribunali  and  make  the  passer- 
by blushingly  regard  the  state  of  his  feet.  Whether 
to  ascribe  these  luxuries  to  over-cleanliness  or  over- 
laziness  is  doubtful.  Probably  the  reason  lies  in  the 
fact  that  an  Italian  seldom  shaves  himself,  and  that 
a  Leccese  seldom  keeps  more  than  a  minimum  of 
domestic  servants  who  may  object  to  shoe-shining 
on  purely  conscientious  grounds.  Laziness  certainly 
accounts  for  the  very  numerous  cabs  plying  in  the 
city,  and  poor  people  regard  them  as  a  necessity  of  life, 
willingly  paying  the  half-franc  which  is  the  standard 
fare  within  the  walls.  The  Lecce  cabs  are  locally 
made,  and  resemble  a  victoria  in  shape,  the  hood 
usually  capable  of  being  raised  or  lowered.  The 
little  Apulian  horses  which  draw  them  are  small, 
but   powerful  and  wiry.      Driving  is   not   so   furious 


272  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

and  careless  as  in  Naples  or  Rome  ;  and  a  warning 
shout  generally  gives  pedestrians  a  chance  of  taking 
cover  in  a  doorway  or  the  tunnel-like  porte-cochere 
of  the  larger  houses.  Carts  in  this  district,  as  at 
Naples,  are  of  every  conceivable  shape,  still  more 
frequently  of  no  shape  at  all,  and  it  is  just  as  usual 
to  see  a  horse  and  a  mule  combined  for  motive  power 
as  a  pair  of  Apulian  ponies.  The  horses,  almost 
without  exception,  wear  some  token  against  the  evil 
eye  ("  jettatura  "),  giving  an  added  picturesqueness  to 
the  equipage. 

A  great  deal  concerning  Lecce  habits  may  be  learned 
from  a  study  of  its  many  and  excellent  shops.  What 
has  already  been  said  of  booksellers  applies  to  other 
trades,  i.e.  that  the  shops  here  are  far  better  than 
those  in  most  Italian  towns.  Some  of  them  are  almost 
oppressively  up  to  date.  Bowler  hats  are  advertised 
as  "The  Piccadilly "  shape.  One  shop  has  a  window 
full  of  Priestley's  Bradford  dress-stuffs,  while  Singers' 
sewing-machines  occupy  a  large  double-fronted 
establishment.  Lecce  is  one  of  those  cities  where  a 
soberly  dressed  Englishman  would  arouse  less  curiosity 
than  an  artist  in  a  slouch  hat,  for  the  people  are  in 
general  careful  of  their  appearance,  with  the  usual 
Italian  tendency  towards  an  over-use  of  black.  Be- 
sides the  shops,  the  markets  must  be  mentioned, 
where  fish,  meat,  and  vegetables  are  sold  under  cover ; 
the  great  open-air  market  too,  in  and  round  the 
Piazza  S.  Oronzo,  where  every  sort  of  article  may 
be  haggled  for ;  the  fair,  which  on  certain  festa  days 
crowds  a  narrow  lane  near  the  Castle,  and  where 
the  populace  may  be  found  in  holiday  mood,  weighing 
the  merits  of  gorgeous  saints  or  grotesques  in  candy 
or  plaster  against  the  rival  attractions  of  the  hard- 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  273 

war©  tinsel  stall.  Last  of  all  are  the  hucksters  with 
their  trays  of  amulets,  bootlaces  and  collar-studs, 
tortoiseshell  combs  and  second-hand  books ;  and  the 
newsvendors,  who  cry  the  papers  from  Milan,  Rome, 
and  Naples  at  the  street-corners  as  each  edition 
arrives.     So  much  for  the  Lecce  man  in  the  street. 

In  his  home  life  he  appears  to  greater  advantage 
than  his  brother  of  Naples  in  many  respects,  notably 
in  the  way  he  treats  his  women-folk.  Professor  de 
Simone  indeed  assures  us  that  ever  since  the  brave 
days  of  Count  Robert's  gay  court  in  the  twelfth 
century  the  Leccese  has  **  regarded  woman  as  an 
object  of  worship,  and  dedicated  his  songs  to  her." 
Very  prettily  said.  Professor;  but  why  not  give  us 
comparative  statistics  of  cruelty,  desertion,  and 
divorce?  The  dedication  of  a  poem  is  not  a  heroic 
or  self-denying  act,  indeed  to  many  people  it  is 
unnecessary  and  out  of  place  ;  as  for  the  worshipping, 
that  accords  badly  with  the  practice  of  leaving  the 
heavy  work  of  a  farm  to  women,  already  well  em- 
ployed, or  with  the  sight  of  them  toiling  as  navvies 
at  road-making. 

On  this  subject  history  throws  some  interesting 
glimpses.  For  instance,  Girolamo  Marciano  ^  thus 
describes  them  in  translating  Antonio  Galateo's 
description  of  the  neighbouring  town  of  Gallipoli : 

"  The  women  are  just  as  temperate  as  the  men  ;  they 
are  for  the  most  part  abstemious,  like  the  Romans  of 
old  ;  simple,  refined,  eager  for  knowledge,  industrious, 
diligent  in  domestic  affairs,  modest,  and  obedient  to 
their  husbands.  On  public  holidays  they  do  not  go 
running  about  the  city,  unless  some  reason  calls  them 

^  Early  17th  Century.     M.  S.  B.'s  translation. 

18 


274  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

forth,  but  bide  in  their  houses  ;  on  working  days  they 
spin,  weave,  and  work  in  Hnen,  wool,  cotton,  silk,  and 
suchlike  things.  Their  bearing  is  attractive,  graceful, 
and  charming,  their  tresses  braided  in  different  styles. 
The  beauty  of  their  daughters  is  natural,  not  painted 
or  embellished  by  art.  .  .  .  They  never  leave  towns  or 
similar  safe  places,  and  not  only  never  speak  to  men  till 
they  are  married,  but  are  not  even  bold  enough  to  look  at 
them.  Nor  do  they  ever  watch  the  games,  but  are 
always  kept  busy  at  home  by  their  mothers,  unless 
they  can  succeed  in  looking  out  of  doors  and  windows  on 
the  sly.  They  are  married  at  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  after  that  their  chance  of  finding  a 
husband  is  small." 

Scipio  Ammirato,  the  historian,  who  lived  a  few 
years  earlier,  went  so  far  as  to  say  "  that  in  his  day  a 
Leccese  lady  seen  gazing  intently  out  of  a  window  at 
any  man  would  be  counted  a  harlot,  and  that  in  Genoa 
such  an  act  constituted  an  invitation  to  enter." 

The  Capuchins  who  came  to  Lecce  in  1533  increased 
this  Eastern  severity  by  separating  the  sexes  in 
church,  providing  a  door  for  the  women,  and  even 
arranging  steps  so  as  to  make  the  division  more 
marked. 

In  many  places  in  this  district  a  girl  never  left  her 
home  till  she  crossed  the  piazza  to  her  wedding. 
This  was  called  "  fare  la  spaccata,"  and  was  an 
evidence  in  public  opinion  of  her  chastity,  so  that 
she  could  say  when  about  to  become  a  mother,  "  Jeu  ? 
jeu  fici  la  spaccata"  (I?  I  have  crossed  the  piazza^). 
It  is  remarkable  that  with  such  a  life  of  seclusion 
these  women  could  produce  a  race  of  warriors,  for 
Lecce  soldiers  owed  not  only  their  birth  and  early 
training  to  their   mothers,  but   even  their  hardiness 

•  De  Simone  in  "  Rivista  Europea."     See  Bibliography. 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  275 

in  physical  exercises  was  actually  stimulated  by 
example. 

A  Spartan  regime  prevailed  also  in  the  aristocratic 
convents  for  patricians'  daughters,  but  there  was  no 
supervision,  and  things  became  so  bad  that  on  one 
occasion  the  Universita  ^  sent  an  ambassador  to  Rome 
to  complain  of  their  administration.  The  mission 
was  entrusted  to  Scipio  Ammirato,  and  his  request 
was  that  the  "  Clarissa "  nuns  at  Lecce  should  be 
controlled  by  an  Ordinario,  and  not  by  the  Frati. 
These  convents  were  often  the  refuge  of  well-born 
girls  who  had  fallen  into  disgrace.  The  rule  was 
hard,  and  frequently  self-inflicted  poison  ended  their 
unhappy  lives,  their  deaths  remaining  a  mystery. 

Conjugal  infidelity  in  these  stern  days  was  punished 
by  death,  and  we  read  of  Beatrice  Moccia,  wife  of 
Colle  d'Anchise,  Governor  of  Lecce,  being  slain  by 
her  husband's  hand  on  July  13th,  1636.  Later  she 
was  found  to  be  innocent. 

A  writer  in  1749  gives  an  amusing  picture  of  a 
completely  domesticated  Lecce,  at  a  time  when 
domesticity  in  Europe  was  far  from  being  a  fashion- 
able virtue  : 

"  This  folk  holds  him  in  infamy  and  horror  who 
takes  his  wine  in  a  tavern  ;  and  every  man  eats  his 
meals  at  home ;  for  midnight  orgies,  gross  games, 
and  constant  playgoings  are  the  ruin  of  a  home." 

This  is  still  true,  for  cafes  close  early  in  Lecce,  and 
with  the  exception  of  the  theatre,  which  generally 
concludes  its  performances  at  eleven  or  a  little  later, 
there  is  nothing  to  disturb  the  city  after  ten  o'clock. 

'  Universita  =  town  council,  not  university. 


276  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

1  he  city  does  not,  of  course,  harbour  only  the 
respectable,  but  its  seamy  side  is  not  obtrusive. 

The  only  distinctive  feature  about  Lecce  women's 
customs  at  the  present  day  is  that  the  working-class 
women  seldom  appear  out  of  doors  bareheaded,  as  is 
usual  in  most  other  parts  of  Italy. 

The  ceremonies  of  marriage  as  observed  in  the 
Terra  d'  Otranto  are  in  many  respects  noteworthy. 
Some  of  the  most  interesting,  however,  hail  from  the 
Taranto  neighbourhood  and  are  archaic.  The  bride- 
groom's relations  used  to  present  the  bride  in  some 
cases  with  new  shoes,  or  sometimes  one  of  them 
would  meet  her  on  the  threshold  of  her  new  home  and 
pour  a  spoonful  of  honey  into  her  mouth,  to  typify 
the  mellifluous  sweetness  which  was  (henceforth)  to 
characterise  the  relations  between  the  two  families. 
Like  many  other  charming  customs,  and  like  parts  of 
the  English  marriage  service,  this  old  belief  stretches 
one's  imaginative  credulousness  too  far.  Infinitely 
more  practical  in  character,  yet  artfully  tinged  with  a 
cunning  semblance  of  romance,  was  the  marriage  feast 
in  these  parts.  Instead  of  senseless  speechifying,  a 
compact  programme  of  items  was  undertaken,  with  the 
sole  idea  of  extracting  booty  from  the  guests.  Each 
of  them  had  to  cut  open  a  fruit,  slip  a  coin  into  the 
incision,  and  hand  it  to  the  bride.  He  then  poured  a 
little  wine  into  his  glass,  dropped  another  coin  into 
the  wine,  and  handed  that  also  to  the  bride.  She 
must  have  been  a  plucky  girl,  and  withal  possessed 
of  a  steady  head  and  good  digestion,  who  would 
risk  a  feast  of  fifty  covers  with  the  idea  of  a 
hundred  presents.  For  she  had  to  eat  all  those 
"fruits"    (whether    they   were    oranges    or    figs   we 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  277 

know   not),   and    drink   all   this   wine   to   secure   the 
embryo  dowry  enclosed. 

Then  came  dancing,  another  form  of  tribute.  Every 
guest  who  danced  with  the  bride  gave  her  a  hand- 
kerchief or  a  piece  of  silver.  In  the  former  case  she 
put  the  offering  in  her  girdle  or  pocket,  in  the  latter, 
spat  on  it  and  put  it  on  her  forehead.  How  it  stuck 
there  through  the  mazy  whirl  of  a  pizzica-pizzica  we 
can  only  conjecture.  In  the  Oria  district  a  barrier  ^ 
was  formed  with  flagpoles  and  a  festoon  of  gay  colours 
across  the  road  between  the  church  and  the  bride- 
groom's new  home.  Here  the  festive  carriage  was 
stopped  (it  was  more  probably  a  modest  party  afoot), 
and  then  allowed  to  pass  when  the  happy  man  had 
showered  a  seemly  amount  of  largesse  among  the 
crowd.  Let  us  hope  that  he  of  Oria  had  the  oppor- 
tunity and  the  wife  to  recoup  him  for  this  extravagance 
by  the  ingenious  extortions  narrated  above. 

This  custom  has  a  parallel  in  the  East,  where  the 
progress  of  travellers  is  arrested  in  the  same  way, 
but  its  origin  is  attributed  by  some  authorities  to  the 
good  old  days  of  rape,  when  the  bride  came  into  a 
village  slung  over  her  captor's  saddle  bow. 

South  of  Lecce,  in  the  Capo  di  Leuca  district,  no 
youth  is  allowed  to  be  betrothed  till  he  has  proved 
his  manhood  by  a  series  of  tests  in  agricultural  work, 
and  by  carrying  a  standard  in  the  festal  procession  of 
the  patron  saint  of  his  township. 

Another  rite  has  an  origin  in  the  Egyptian  symbol 
of  the  egg  as  typifying  creation.  The  bride's  mother 
betakes  herself  to  the  house  of  the  newly  wedded  pair 
at  dawn  on  the  morning  following  the  marriage,  and 
feeds  them  with  an  omelette. 

'  Known  as  the  "  staccatu." 


278  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

It  will  be  noticed  that  none  of  these  customs  allow  for 
the  more  modern  plan  of  an  absent  honeymoon,  and 
that  such  a  solution  would  make  it  easy  for  a  shy 
couple  to  escape  all  ceremony. 

As  in  England  and  other  civilised  parts  of  the 
world,  deaths  more  than  any  other  event  in  the  im- 
mutable facts  of  life,  is  still  invested  with  barbaric 
trappings  in  the  country  round  Lecce.  Hired  mour- 
ners and  funeral  songs  are  now  things  of  the  past, 
though  they  still  linger  round  Taranto  and  Gallipoli. 
Everything  repulsive  connected  with  the  last  rites 
seems  to  have  been  exaggerated  in  this  superstitious 
district,  and  these  paid  mourners  wailed  beside  the 
bier,  tearing  out  their  hair  in  great  bunches  and  cast 
it  over  the  corpse.  Even  in  the  nineteenth  century 
little  Tarantine  girls  used  to  offer  their  tresses  to  the 
memory  of  a  dear  relative,  ruthlessly  cutting  it  off 
and  casting  it  on  the  bier  in  the  same  way.  Although 
funeral  songs  are  practically  obsolete,  de  Simone 
recalls  one  or  two  sung  in  his  hearing  fifty  years  ago. 
One  has  the  refrain  : 

Cadutu  lu  sarsenale  de  la  casa. 
(The  tie-beam  of  the  truss  is  fallen.) 

Most  of  them  were  eulogistic  in  character,  and 
mingled  with  laments,  some  facts  in  the  dead  man's 
career,  thus : 

Ntoni !  Ntoni  I !  pe  cce  si  muertu  ? 
Pane  e  mieru  nu  te  mancava  ! ! 
La  cucuzza  la  tieni  a  1'  ertu  .  .  . 
Ntoni ! ! !  Ntoni ! ! !  pe  cce  si  muertu  ? 

A  similar  verse  exists  in  Dalmatia. 
The  practice  of  "  lying-in-state  "  is  in  vogue  round 
Lecce,   the   body   being  dressed  in   the  best  clothes 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  279 

available,  and  turned  with  the  feet  towards  the  door, 
another  custom  of  great  antiquity.  The  local  "  cun- 
sulu "  is  derived  from  the  classical  **  exsequium  "  or 
"  silicernium,"  and  at  this  funeral  banquet  the  egg  is 
also  introduced  with  a  symbolic  purpose.^ 

In  both  Lecce  and  the  countryside  the  relatives  do 
not  leave  their  house,  but  stay  in  to  receive  the  con- 
dolences of  friends  (known  as  "  visitu,"  *' corrotto"). 
In  the  city  they  wear  mourning  for  three  or  six 
months  or  even  a  year,  according  to  the  nearness  of 
relationship.  In  the  country  these  afflicted  "  triulanti  " 
(Ital.  tribolanti)  or  "isitusi"  wear  their  overcoats 
inside-out  during  the  prescribed  period.  They 
neither  shave  nor  cut  their  beards,  thus  agreeing  with 
the  Roman  usage,  not  the  Greek.  Yet  European 
customs  are  supplanting  older  forms,  and  now  the 
rustics  too  don  a  black  scarf  and  their  womenfolk  dye 
their  garments  black  in  many  places. 

A  picturesque  relic  of  days  gone  by  still  remains  at 
Gallipoli,  Francavilla,  etc.,  where  a  child's  funeral  bier 
is  followed  by  a  band,  or  at  any  rate  by  a  few  guitar 
and  violin  players.  In  feudal  times  the  funeral  of  a 
baron  was  a  magnificent  ceremony,  and  was  settled 
in  every  detail  by  an  elaborate  rubric. 

The  intense  veneration  with  which  the  Leccese 
regarded  their  dead  had  even  during  the  early  days 
of  the  nineteenth  century  led  to  scuffles  when  the 
plan  of  cemeteries  was  first  introduced,  and  in  1848 
there  was  a  general  rising  of  the  mob,  who  threw 
down  the  cemetery  gates  and  walls  one  night  and 
scattered  the  memorial  crosses.  In  1858  burial  in  the 
churches  was  again  permitted  by  the  Naples  Govern- 
ment, much  to  the  satisfaction  of  old  families  owning 

'  The  egg  is  also  eaten  in  Lecce  during  Holy  Week. 


28o  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

ancestral  vaults.  The  Campo  Santo  of  Lecce  at  the 
present  day  is  a  gorgeous  display  of  gay  flowers, 
trimly  kept  walks,  and  fine  cypresses,  and  as  fine  an 
example  of  this  kind  as  may  be  found  in  any  city  of 
the  same  size.  It  is  regrettable  that  with  such  a 
beautiful  centrepiece  as  the  Church  of  S.  Nicolo  e 
Cataldo,  the  monuments  are  so  bad  in  design. 

A  strange  custom  in  Lecce  up  to  the  seventeenth 
century  was  the  refusal  to  let  any  man  dying  outside 
the  city  be  buried  within  it  until  his  body  had  re- 
posed a  year  in  the  suburban  church  of  S.  Maria  del 
Tempio. 

From  the  last  few  pages  it  will  already  be  evident 
that  the  Leccese  is  excessively  superstitious  ;  and  this 
aspect  of  his  character  has  received  more  attention 
from  travelled  authors  than  anything  else  connected 
with  the  city,  except  perhaps  Tancred's  church  there. 
It  is  generally  recognised  by  writers  on  Italy  that  its 
most  credulous  inhabitants  live  in  the  extreme  south. 
Perhaps  the  absence  of  tourists,  coupled  with  the 
romantic  souls  of  the  natives,  has  kept  the  flame  from 
dying  out  in  this  prosaic  age.  It  is  very  difficult  for 
an  Englishman  to  appreciate  the  doctrinal  standpoint 
of  a  good  Catholic  who  places  implicit  faith  in  a 
cimeruta  or  amulet,  in  a  tin  hunchback  or  a  coral  on 
his  watch-chain. 

For  the  uneducated  are  not  the  only  people  who 
wear  these  charms  ;  and  from  the  number  and  variety 
which  may  be  purchased  from  pedlars  or  stalls,  they 
cannot  be  falling  into  disuse,  although  many  of  them 
look   perilously  like  Birmingham  products.^     A  firm 

*  A  few  casual  strolls  round  the  piazza  at  Lecce,  and  an  expenditure 
of  thre  e  lire,  provided  the  writer  with  twenty  different  varieties. 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  281 

belief  in  the  power  of  the  evil  eye  ("  jettatura")  ac- 
counts for  most  of  these  amulets  and  for  the  strange 
ornaments  carried  by  all  horses  and  mules  in  Apulia 
and  the  Neapolitan  provinces.  So  elaborate  is  this 
subject,  and  so  exhaustively  has  it  been  discussed  by 
Mr.  Elworthy  ^  in  his  standard  book,  that  it  need  not 
be  more  than  mentioned  here,  and  the  same  applies  to 
the  use  of  the  cimeruta  in  its  many  forms.  Dr.  Ashby, 
of  the  British  School  at  Rome,  has  a  most  valuable 
private  collection  of  these  objects  from  Southern  Italy, 
the  majority  being  antique  and  of  silver.  In  Mrs. 
Ross's  book,  "  The  Land  of  Manfred,"  many  quaint 
superstitions  are  related,  connected  with  dreams, 
courtship,  harvest-time,  and  Christmas ;  also  certain 
omens,  and  the  amusing  instance  of  a  two-tailed 
lizard  in  a  gambler's  pocket  acting  as  a  mascot.  How- 
ever, these  have  been  twice  published,  for  Mr.  Hamilton 
Jackson  has  reprinted  the  paragraphs  practically  word 
for  word  in  his  **  Shores  of  the  Adriatic." 

Yet  these  beliefs  are  not  altogether  irreconcilable 
with  the  strange  rites  which  form  part  of  the  feasts 
and  procession  of  the  Roman  Church  in  this  remote 
land.  Here  its  power  over  the  souls  of  the  poor  and 
ignorant  may  be  seen  in  all  its  force,  all  the  strange 
mummery  and  trappings  of  a  half-barbaric  faith — so 
different  is  it  from  its  English  manifestation  as  we 
know  it — with  the  added  trickery  of  fireworks  so  loud 
as  to  resemble  artillery  and  suggest  an  unexpected 
invasion.  In  Lecce  on  some  great  Saint's  day  or  at 
Easter,  the  sight  of  ecclesiastical  lace  in  the  dimness 
of  evening  banked  in  the  Duomo  choir  tier  above  tier, 
the  worshipping  crowds  in  the  twilight  gloom  of  the 
cathedral  nave,  and  Tiso's  fine  pictures  on  the  walls, 
•  See  Bibliography. 


282  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

is  as  reverent  as  any  religious  rite  could  be — poetical 
and  almost  enchanting ;  yet  the  thunder  of  fireworks 
and  the  strange,  hideous  masks  of  mummers  in 
procession  produce  a  very  different  impression. 

Our  last   view  of  the    people   of  Lecce  is  in  their 
times  of  recreation  and  leisure. 

From  the  days  when  Oronzo,  out  with  a  few 
companions  for  a  hunting  expedition,  met  the  good 
Justus  and  took  him  home,  there  has  always  been  a 
certain  amount  of  shooting  and  fishing  carried  on  by 
the  citizens  ;  and  shooting  parties  may  be  seen  driving 
back  from  San  Cataldo,  where  there  is  good  sport. 
Motoring  has  taken  little  hold  of  the  Lecce  mind  as 
yet — perhaps  it  is  beyond  the  scope  of  the  Lecce 
purse — but  cycling  is  popular,  alike  for  purposes  of 
business  and  pleasure.  Of  horsemanship  past  and 
present  something  has  already  been  said. 

Indoors  the  Leccese  indulges  in  billiards  and  cards, 
and  of  course  the  various  lotteries  are  in  existence  to 
satisfy  his  gambling  instincts.  De  Simone  gives  an 
interesting  and  scholarly  analysis  of  Lecce  popular 
games,  most  of  them  being  intended  for  children,  and 
many  derived  from  very  ancient  origins.  They  may 
be  divided  into  three  classes  :  games  with  a  gambling 
interest  (such  as  our  *'  pitch-and-toss  ")  ;  games  involv- 
ing manual  strength  or  skill  (one  of  them — "the  piece 
of  cheese" — being  our  "putting  the  shot");  and 
games  for  children  (among  which  can  be  recognised 
our  *'  general  post"  and  "  ring-a-ring  of  roses"). 

But  by  far  the  most  interesting  of  Lecce  recreations 
are  the  strange  dances  which  form  so  necessary  a  part 
of  the  people's  life.  Much  has  already  been  written  of 
the  remarkable  origin  of  the  Tarantella,  the  marvellous 
mental  condition  into  which  its  devotees  fell,  and  the 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  283 

strange  findings  of  scientists  as  to  the  disease  of 
Tarantism,  and  its  cure  ;  and  the  "  pizzica-pizzica  " — 
an  even  more  local  dance — has  been  well  described  in 
English  by  Mrs.  Ross. 

However,  this  book  would  be  incomplete  without 
an  outline  of  so  very  interesting  a  feature  of  life  in  the 
Terra  d'Otranto.  In  this  district  and  in  Spain  there 
exists  a  large  spider  of  the  Lycosa  species,  three  to 
four  centimetres  long.'  Up  to  the  eleventh  century  its 
bite  was  believed  to  be  fatal,  and  in  the  fourteenth 
century  an  outbreak  of  melancholy-madness  occurred 
among  the  Apulian  women,  ending  in  a  frenzy  like 
that  of  hydrophobia  or  even  in  death.  This  was 
believed  to  originate  in  the  spider's  bite,  chiefly  because 
the  malady  manifested  itself  when  this  spider  awoke 
for  its  summer  life.  The  scantily  clad  women  in  the 
harvest-fields  were  those  most  affected.  The  disease 
commenced  with  violent  fever,  the  victim  swaying 
backwards  and  forwards,  moaning  the  while. 

Music  was  believed  to  be  the  best  remedy  for  the 
tarantolate,  as  it  incited  them  to  dance,  and  cleansed 
them  from  the  imaginary  venom  of  the  creature  by 
means  of  intense  perspiration. 

Two  forms  of  the  malady  are  recognised — wet  and 
dry.  In  either  case  musicians  are  summoned  and  a 
tune  started.  If,  however,  this  tune  is  not  the  one 
best  suited  to  the  patient's  mental  state,  she  cries  : 
"  No,  no  ;  not  that  air."  Another  air  is  tried,  till  by 
some  strange  connection  between  the  instrumentalists 
and  the  poor  sufferer's  brain  the  requisite  ecstasy  is 
established ;  she  feels  the  wild  strains  in  her  throbbing 
veins  and  breaks  into  a  mad,  whirling  dance.     She  is 

'  Various  species  exist.  Their  curious  habits  are  described  by 
Baglivi  and  Valetta. 


284  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

frequently  dressed  in  the  colours  of  the  spider  which 
bit  her,  and  gaily  decked  out  with  ribbons  and  gar- 
lands. 

Though  the  ceremony  is  often  commenced  indoors 
with  a  natural  respect  for  privacy,  the  intense  heat 
frequently  drives  tarantata  and  spectators  into  a 
garden,  or  even  into  the  street.  In  cases  of  "  dry 
tarantism,"  her  friends  pick  her  up  when  she  sinks 
exhausted  on  the  ground,  and  hasten  her  into  a  warm 
bed,  where  she  sleeps  perhaps  eighteen  hours.  If  a 
"wet"  case,  the  dance  takes  place  near  a  well  or  a 
vessel  of  water,  and  the  dancer  is  freely  doused  by 
the  spectators.  Owing  to  scarcity  of  water  in  summer 
this  is  an  expensive  cure,  and  only  resorted  to  because 
wet  tarantism  is  serious,  involving  seventy-two  hours' 
fever. 

Mrs.  Ross  relates  a  most  ludicrous  story  of  a 
Taranto  artisan,  who,  after  jeering  at  his  womenkind 
for  using  such  mad  remedies,  himself  fell  ill,  called 
the  musicians  into  a  carefully  barred  house,  and 
finally  burst  raving  into  the  street,  crying :  "  The 
women  are  right."  ^ 

Tarantism  is,  however,  practically  a  lost  art  to-day, 
the  dance  only  surviving.  The  "  pizzica-pizzica  "  is  a 
wedding-dance,  now  also  obsolete,  in  which  the  bride- 
groom for  the  nonce  is  supplanted  by  the  "cacciatore," 
some  well-born  youth  of  the  neighbourhood,  who 
dances  throughout  with  the  bride,  and  at  the  con- 
clusion gives  her  a  present. 

The  Leccese  are  so  fond  of  bathing  that  they  main- 

•  Mr.  C.  E.  Shipley,  of  Cambridge,  recently  contributed  a  witty  letter 
to  The  Times,  aptly  drawing  a  parallel  between  a  "tarantata"  and  a 
"  suffragette."  His  simile,  clever  as  it  was  in  every  respect,  is  dis- 
counted in  value  if  Mrs.  Ross's  story  be  true.  However,  this  is  the 
only  case  recorded  of  a  man  ! 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  285 

tain  a  complete  bathing-station  at  San  Cataldo  on  the 
Adriatic. 

While  writing  of  the  habits  and  superstitions  of 
Lecce  people  it  seems  only  fitting  to  include  one  of 
their  typical  stories  handed  down  in  dialect,  of  which 
the  title  is  :  "  The  Minstrel's  Lay." 

"LA   CANZONE    DEL    MENESTRELLO " V 
A   LECCE   FABLE 

1 

"  The  king  of  an  important  realm  had  an  only 
daughter,  Speranza,  who  became  more  and  more  ill ; 
and  on  this  account  her  father  gratified  her  every 
whim,  seeing  that  she  was  capricious  and  unlike 
herself. 

"  One  day  he  would  arrange  a  great  hunt  for  the 
vassals  of  the  royal  family ;  the  next  he  would  give  a 
banquet  of  unspeakable  magnificence  ;  then  a  tourney, 
a  horse  race,  and  suchlike  things. 

"  Prince  after  prince  became  enamoured  of  the 
damsel,  and  begged  her  hand  of  the  king,  but  every 
one  she  met  with  a  refusal,  saying  : 

" '  My  hand  will  be  bestowed  on  him  who  will  show 
his  love  for  me  by  giving  up  everything  imaginable.' 

"At  one  of  the  constantly  changing  succession  of 
festivities  at  the  castle,  there  suddenly  appeared  a 
young  minstrel,  who  craved  the  king's  permission  to 
give  a  display  of  his  art.  He  was  simply  attired  in 
good  clothes,  not  in  the  loud  costume  of  a  buffoon. 

'  "The  Minstrel's  Lay."  Translated  by  M.  S.  B.  from  Gigli  (see 
Bibliography).  Lecce  people  do  not  say  "  menestrello,"  but  "  poeta," 
and  the  local  title  of  this  fable  is  "  La  canzune  de  lu  poeta."  Gigli, 
therefore,  has  altered  the  word  in  transcribing  from  dialect  into  Italian, 
seeing  that  "  poeta "  hardly  bears  the  interpretation  of  "  minstrel," 
which  was  intended. 


286  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

"  A  cluster  of  golden  locks,  kept  with  the  most 
scrupulous  care,  fell  over  his  shoulders.  A  broad  hat 
decorated  with  a  large  white  plume  covered  his  head. 
At  his  girdle  might  be  seen  the  handle  of  a  dagger. 

"  The  king  accorded  him  hospitality,  and,  with  his 
instrument  slung  over  his  shoulder,  he  saluted  the 
knights  and  their  ladies  assembled  in  the  hall,  and 
entered  therein.  His  appearance  was  greeted  with  a 
subdued  murmur  of  admiration,  because  of  his  elegant 
and  attractive  bearing. 

"  Then  he  began  to  play  and  sing.  He  was  so 
great  and  so  complete  a  master  of  his  art,  that  all 
declared  that  night  they  had  never  listened  in  their 
lives  to  any  minstrel  or  merry-andrew  who  was  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  this  one. 

"  So  at  the  conclusion  all  wished  to  show  him  their 
appreciation  by  gifts  of  money,  among  them  the  king's 
daughter,  who  offered  him  a  precious  pin,  which  at 
the  moment  adorned  her  bosom;  whereupon  they  were 
amazed  to  hear  the  singer  say,  with  downcast  eyes : 

"  *  Knights  and  dames,  I  cannot  and  ought  not  to 
accept  anything.  A  bit  of  bread  and  a  glass  of  wine 
will  satisfy  me,  and  I  should  not  know  what  to  do 
with  your  jewels  and  your  gold.  I  will  only  take  the 
princess's  gift,  in  order  that  this  pin  may  be  the  guide 
of  my  life  in  the  days  and  the  years  to  come.' 

"  So  saying,  he  gracefully  took  the  precious  gift 
from  the  hands  of  the  royal  maiden,  and,  kissing  it, 
replaced  it  in  an  embroidered  purse  which  hung  at 
his  side. 


II 

"  The  skilful  minstrel  was  generously  and  hospitably 
entertained  at  the  castle.  The  princess  made  her 
father  promise  to  treat  him  as  an  artist  and  a  friend, 
not  as  a  mere  jester;  and  indeed  he  had  given  proof 
of  many  other  qualities,  showing  an  acquaintance  with 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  287 

every  branch  of  knightly  knowledge :  with  fencing, 
with  combat  either  on  horseback  or  on  foot ;  and  few 
knights  dare  oppose  him.  As  may  easily  be  imagined, 
it  came  to  pass  that  the  king's  daughter  fell  passion- 
ately in  love  with  him,  and  soon  resolved  to  make  of 
him  an  adoring  husband. 

"  Now,  the  youth  could  not  remain  insensible  to  the 
favours  showered  on  him  by  the  royal  maid,  and 
speedily  began  to  notice  how  she  preferred  him  to 
all  the  other  youths  who  came  to  the  festivities  at 
the  castle. 

"  In  a  short  time  it  became  his  practice  at  dead  of 
night  to  slip  out  of  the  castle  and  to  sing  under  the 
damsel's  balcony  his  most  melting  ditties  of  love. 
Every  time  that  this  took  place  the  window  opened 
very  softly,  disclosing  the  white  and  delicate  form 
of  his  beloved.  And  on  one  such  night  a  large 
white  rose  fell  at  the  singer's  feet ;  another  time  came 
a  little  folded  note  and  within  it  a  gold  ring ;  then  at 
last  a  letter  fell  at  his  feet  in  which  the  princess  con- 
fided her  love  for  him  and  swore  eternal  fidelity. 

"  But  while  these  two  lovers  were  living  on  their 
passions  and  hopes  an  ancient  henchman  of  the  castle, 
scandalised  at  the  sight  of  a  vile  musician  occupying 
the  heart  of  his  master's  daughter,  disclosed  every- 
thing to  the  king  and  brought  him  to  see  one  of  the 
nocturnal  meetings  of  the  two  young  folk.  Imagine 
what  anger  flamed  in  the  royal  breast  on  seeing  and 
hearing  such  things  !  He  at  once  decreed  that  the 
unworthy  minstrel  should  be  shut  up  in  a  dark 
dungeon  of  the  castle  to  await  a  still  harsher  sen- 
tence; and  he  severely  reprimanded  his  daughter, 
pointing  out  to  her  that  she  was  sullying  the  ancestral 
honour  of  his  house  ;  also  wherein  lay  the  duties  of  a 
modest  maiden,  and  finally  telling  her  that  a  princess 
of  her  rank  should  have  a  loftier  ideal  in  her  heart 
than  a  union  with  a  common  player,  a  street  singer, 
a  court  jester,  or  circus  buffoon.   The  poor  girl  listened 


288  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

in  silence  to  her  father's  furious  tirade,  but  murmured 
to  herself : 

"  '  Always  his  ! ' 

III 

"  After  a  few  days  sentence  was  pronounced  :  the 
minstrel  was  condemned  to  death.  When  the  princess 
heard  the  news  she  determined  to  rescue  her  beloved 
at  all  costs. 

"  As  twilight  began  to  descend  she  stole  out  of  the 
castle  with  a  faithful  old  tirewoman,  and  betook  her- 
self to  the  house  of  an  ancient  witch,  to  whom  she 
confided  her  lover's  sad  plight. 

*"  I  must  save  him  somehow,'  she  concluded,  'and 
I  want  you  to  find  me  the  means.' 

'*  The  old  crone  remained  lost  in  thought  for  a 
moment  or  two,  and  then  replied  : 

"  *  Your  story  moves  me,  and  I  can  make  you  happy. 
Now  listen  to  me  :  when  your  lover  is  being  borne 
to  the  scaffold  he  will  crave  a  boon,  that  he  may  sing 
one  last  song.     Your  father  cannot  refuse  him. 

"  '  You  will  then  feign  a  dire  sickness.  .  .  . 

**  *  The  rest  will  all  turn  out  satisfactorily  by  itself.' 

"  The  maiden  thanked  the  old  woman  with  emotion, 
and  slipped  into  her  hand  a  purse  full  of  gold  pieces, 
then  returned  to  the  castle. 

*'  At  last  there  arrived  the  day  appointed  for  the 
wandering  minstrel's  death.  In  the  great  piazza  of 
the  city  a  high  scaffold  was  erected,  and  on  it  lay  the 
axe  which  was  to  sever  the  unfortunate  youth's  head. 
A  little  way  from  the  scaffold  a  platform  was  placed, 
on  which  the  royal  family  were  to  take  up  their 
station. 

"  Early  in  the  morning  people  began  to  collect  in 
the  square,  anxious  to  see  him  who  had  dared  to  love 
the  king's  daughter.  And  when  the  victim  appeared, 
bound  and  led  captive  by  guards,  a  general  murmur 


THE    PEOPLE   OF   LECCE  289 

of  admiration  and  sympathy  rose  from  the  crowd  ; 
it  seemed  a  crime  to  all  to  end  the  life  of  so  gallant 
and  so  brave  a  youth. 

"  In  a  short  time  the  king,  at  whose  side  was  the 
pale  and  trembling  princess,  made  a  sign  with  his 
hand.  One  of  his  minions  then  approached  the 
prisoner  and  asked  if  there  were  anything  he  desired, 
as  it  was  a  general  custom  in  such  a  case  to  grant 
any  boon  that  might  be  craved.  '  Yes,'  said  the  poor 
youth  in  a  faint  voice ;  '  tell  the  king  that  I  crave 
this  boon,  to  be  allowed  to  play  my  lute  for  the  last 
time.' 

"  The  king  consented  to  so  trifling  a  request,  and 
ordered  that  the  singer's  instrument  should  be  brought 
to  him. 

"  He  then  began  to  touch  the  strings,  drawing 
from  them  sad  chords  full  of  sweet  melody ; 
then  joining  his  voice  to  the  lute  he  unfolded 
his  own  story,  seeking  for  the  most  melting  and 
moving  notes,  the  most  gentle  and  tender  words. 
Touched  to  the  heart,  the  crowd  began  to  weep, 
the  king  wept,  the  princess  wept,  the  very  soldiers 
wept. 

"  Suddenly  through  that  great  hush  of  silence 
there  echoed  a  piercing  and  heart-rending  cry  :  the 
princess  had  fallen  senseless  on  the  ground.  There 
was  great  confusion :  nobody  thought  any  more  of 
the  victim :  every  man's  thought  was  for  the  un- 
fortunate maiden.  Lying  on  the  ground,  supported 
by  two  large  cushions,  she  showed  no  sign  of  life. 
In  vain  the  king  softly  called  her  by  name,  in  vain 
they  adopted  every  possible  means  to  bring  her  back 
to  life  :  she  seemed  to  be  dead. 

"  Another  voice  rang  through  the  startled  air  : 

"  *  Your  Majesty,  I  alone  possess  the  secret  which 
will  give  new  life  to  your  daughter.' 

"  Every  head  turned  that  way  in  amazement.  It 
was  the   minstrel   who   had   spoken.      By  the  king's 

19 


290  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

order  he  was  released  from  his  bonds  and  brought 
to  the  side  of  the  corpse. 

"  '  Now  listen,'  said  the  king  to  him,  *  if  you  save 
my  daughter  your  life  shall  be  spared  :  if  you  do 
not  succeed  in  bringing  her  back  to  life  you  shall 
die  a  far  more  cruel  death.' 

*'  The  handsome  youth  approved  these  words  with 
a  slight  inclination  of  his  head,  and  approached  the 
princess.  He  commenced  by  stroking  her  forehead 
and  closed  eyes  tenderly  with  his  hand,  then  by 
pressing  her  hands,  next  by  whispering  in  her  ear ; 
finally  he  drew  from  his  bosom  a  little  phial  and 
poured  its  contents  into  the  damsel's  mouth. 

"  A  few  minutes  passed  ;  great  anxiety  prevailed 
among  the  crowd,  most  of  all  for  the  king ;  at  last 
a  bright  smile  was  seen  on  the  girl's  lips,  and  next 
a  feeble  breath  came  from  her  breast. 

*'  There  was  a  great  cry — '  She  is  saved  ! ' 

"  And  in  an  hour  the  damsel  had  actually  regained 
her  usual  appearance  ! 

IV 

"  To  the  people  this  seemed  a  marvellous  miracle, 
and  from  that  day  the  handsome  singer  became 
their  idol.  The  king,  delighted  at  the  recovery  of 
his  child,  restored  to  her  saviour  his  liberty. 

"  The  young  princess  loved  him  all  the  more 
warmly  who  had  suffered  so  much  for  her  sake ;  and 
so  it  happened  that  one  evening  the  two  lovers 
appeared  together  hand-in-hand  before  the  old  king ; 
she  dressed  in  white,  he  no  longer  as  a  minstrel  but 
as  a  knight,  a  garb  which  indeed  became  him  well. 
They  cast  themselves  at  the  king's  feet,  begging  for 
his  pardon  and  approval.  What  could  the  poor  man 
do  ?  He  blessed  them,  and  after  a  few  days  they  were 
married.  And  so  love  triumphed  over  all  obstacles, 
and  the  people  made  merry  over  the  new  prince,  to 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  291 

whom  they  had  recourse  in  every  need,  in  sickness, 
and  in  trouble."^ 

Dialect,  Literature,  and  Drama 

The  Lecce  district  has  been  the  scene  of  so  many 
settlements  and  invasions  that  one  cannot  hope  to  find 
a  niche  for  it  in  ethnology  without  trouble,  and  its 
dialect  is  bound  to  be  a  very  difficult  problem,  the 
more  so  since  a  country's  literature  seldom  reproduces 
all  its  various  dialects.  In  Italy,  for  instance,  the  first 
efforts  in  this  direction  were  comedies  performed  in 
dialect  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  thereafter  it 
became  a  more  frequent  custom  to  write  in  vernacular, 
Lecce  being  one  of  the  cities  thus  inspired. 

The  Terra  d'  Otranto,  or  Province  of  Lecce,  has  four 
distinct  ethnological  divisions.  The  towns  and  villages 
on  the  Apulian  foothills,  known  as  "  Le  Murgie," 
and  comprising  Carovigno,  Ostuni,  Mottola,  San  Vito 
de'  Normanni,  etc.,  are  quite  apart  from  the  three 
districts  to  the  south,  and  differ  from  them  greatly. 

The  Brindisi  zone  stretches  from  Lecce  to  Taranto, 
and  includes,  besides  Brindisi,  the  following  important 
communes :  Mesagne,  Oria,  Latiano,  Manduria, 
Francavilla-Fontana,  Sava,  and  Grottaglie. 

The  Taranto  zone  only  comprises  the  little  district 
between  Taranto  and  Massafra,  but  of  course  is 
important,  Taranto  being  a  large  city. 

The  Lecce  zone  is  the  most  important  of  the 
province,  including  the  city  and  all  the  large  district 
south  of  it,  inhabited  by  over  350,000  people.  The 
language  spoken  here  is  of  Graeco-Roman  origin,  but 
with   a   very   strong   admixture   of  neo-Hellenic   and 

'  Lecce  fables,  unlike  those  of  the  neighbourhood — mostly  derived 
from  Greek  or  Roman  sources — have  a  mediaeval  origin,  and  form  a  relic 
of  the  days  when  the  city  was  a  centre  of  chivalry. 


292  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

Albanian  elements.  Traces  of  Saracen  and  Slav-Turk 
influences  are  also  to  be  found.  The  Greek  and 
Albanian  elements,  however,  being  in  the  nature  of 
exotic  plants,  are  bound  to  perish  with  time,  and  are  at 
present  most  noticeable  in  the  little  villages  south  and 
west  of  Lecce.  In  an  excellent  recent  article  ^  in 
the  Lecce  Risorgimento  it  is  ably  explained  how 
the  language  of  antiquity  in  the  district  is  closely 
connected  with  the  Albanian  dialect  still  in  use  across 
the  Adriatic,  and  an  Albanian  vocabulary  is  of  great 
help  in  deciphering  Messapian  inscriptions. 

Some  fragmentary  examples  of  dialect  have  already 
been  given,  but  perhaps  the  most  characteristic  are 
the  folk-songs,  of  which  specimens  appear  below, 
transcribed  from  Sig.  Gigli's  valuable  little  book.^ 


I 

Ci  prima  jeu  t'amai,  mo  cchiu  te  amu, 
Mo'ci  d'amore  jeu  custrettu  sono. 
Sono  custrettu  comu  pesce  all'  amu, 
'Nnanzi  alia  toa  belta  cussi  ragiono. 
Ragiono  fra  de  mmie,  fra  mmie  te  chiamu, 
E  quandu  chiamu  a  tie  hi  cor  te  donu. 
Se  lu  core  te  donu,  autru  ^  nu'  bramu. 
Te  pregu  nu'  nime  lassi  in  abbandunu. 
Quista  la  cantu  a  te,  fiur  de  giacintu, 
Lu  core  mmiu  e  sincoru,  lu  tou  n'6  fintu. 


II 

De'  nnanti  a  casa  toa  mme  'cchiai  a  passare 
Nu  'nci  te  viddi  e  mme  *  'mariu  lu  core. 
Mill'  anni  mme  paria  de  returnare 
Ca  stia  comu  'na  'rasta  *  senza  fiore, 

'  April  7th,  1909.     The  article  is  signed  "C.  M." 

^  Numbered  in  Gigli  (see  Bibliography)  xcvii.,  xcviii.,  c. 

^  Altro.       *  Mi  si  fece  malinconico.       ^  Testa  =  vase  (Eng.). 


THE    PEOPLE   OF    LECCE  293 

Sta  curte  senza  tie  sai  comu  pare  ? 
Comu  lu  tiempu  trubu  '  senza  sole. 
Ca  quandu  nci  si'  tie  sai  comu  pare  ? 
Comu  lu  maggiu  ci  caccia  ogiii  fiore. 

Ill 

Hae  ci  nu'  passu  de  'sta  strada  'mara  ' 
De  cce  sse  'mmaretau  ^.ninella  mmia. 
Ca  quandu  li  capituli  cupiara, 
'Lliettu  *  mme  misi  pe'  malencunia ; 
Quandu  alia  chiesia  madre  la  purtara, 
Jeu  'ncora  la  speranza  nci  tenia ; 
E  quandu  1'  acqua  santa  nni '"  dunara, 
'Ncora  lu  'ucca  ^  a  risu  mme  facia. 
Quandu  la  soa  boccuzza  disse  :  "Sine"'' 
Tandu  la  piersi  la  speranza  mia. 

[These  charming  little  love-songs  are  easily  trans- 
lated if  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  a  dialect  u  =  Italian  o, 
and  vice  versa  sometimes,] 

Lecce  writers  have  written  so  copiously  of  them- 
selves and  each  other  that  it  is  difficult  to  compass 
a  sketch  of  their  work  into  a  few  pages.  However, 
the  bibliography  at  the  end  of  this  volume  gives  a 
fairly  complete  list  of  their  principal  works. 

One  name  only  emerges  from  the  fifteenth  century, 
that  o{  Antonello  Coniger,  a  rich  nobleman  who  divided 
his  leisure  between  travelling  abroad  and  writing  a 
history  of  the  city  of  Lecce  {b.  1480,  d.  15 — ).  Two 
interesting  figures  with  similar  names  follow  him. 
Giacomantonio  Ferrari  [b.  1507,  d.  1537)  graduated  in 
law,  shone  in  diplomacy,  and  wrote  two  histories  of 
his  native  land,  one  his  "  Apologia  Paradossica." 
Antonio  de  Ferraris,  popularly  known  as  "  Galateus  " 
(see  p.  176),  was  a  voluminous  writer  and  a  capable 

'  Turbato. 

^  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  passed  down  the  road  that  I  love. 

2  Marito.  ^  Nel  letto,  '=  Le.  «  Bocca.  ">  Si. 


294  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

scientist,  and  invented  reliefs  on  maps.  No  less  than 
six  authors  have  written  his  biography,  and  others 
have  contributed  biographical  sketches  to  reviews. 

Three  minor  lights  illumined  the  next  period  and 
wrote  much  of  Lecce  :  Andrea  Panettera,  whose  "  Cro- 
naca  "  covers  the  period  1619-1639,  Bernardino  Braccio, 
who  collected  the  city  records  chronologically  from  the 
earliest  times  up  to  1553,  and  the  Abbot  Andrea  Salice, 
who  compiled  a  genealogy  of  the  rulers  of  Lecce. 

Vittore  de  Prioli  is  a  picturesque  figure  {d.  1629). 
A  count  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire  and  a  gallant 
soldier,  he  nevertheless  found  time  to  be  Mayor  of 
Lecce  and  to  write  a  certain  amount  of  poetry. 

But  in  Scipione  Ammirato  (1531-1601)  we  have  an 
author  whose  reputation  as  a  historian  was  national 
and  almost  European.  His  reputation  rests  on  his 
history  of  Florence— whither  he  went  to  live  and 
whence  his  family  had  sprung — and  on  his  works 
on  the  families  of  Naples  and  Florence. 

His  father's  intention  w^as  to  make  him  a  lawyer, 
and  he  was  sent  to  study  at  Naples;  but  once  away 
from  home  the  youth  settled  down  to  a  literary 
career — much  more  in  accordance  with  his  own 
wishes.  He  next  entered  the  Church ;  resided  for 
a  short  time  at  Venice,  and  engaged  in  the  service  of 
Pope  Pius  IV.  In  1569  he  moved  to  Florence,  and 
was  fortunate  in  securing  the  patronage  of  Duke 
Cosimo  I.  His  ancestors  were  Florentines ;  and 
whereas  one  branch  had  remained  in  that  city  after 
the  battle  of  Monte  Aperti  sull'  Arbia  in  1260,  the 
other  had  been  driven  by  the  victorious  and  angry 
Ghibellines  to  take  refuge  in  Lecce  ;  and  from  this 
stock  was  born  the  famous  Scipione. 

He  was  one  of  that  little  band  of  annalists  who,  as 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  295 

has  been  said,  "  exerted  their  pens  for  the  honour 
of  their  birthplace"^  (though  it  was  in  his  case  no 
more  than  his  ancestors'  birthplace),  and  who  pro- 
vided "the  first  example  of  really  classic  Italian 
history."^  It  was  in  1570  that  he  received  from  Duke 
Cosimo  the  commission  for  his  "  magnum  opus,"  an 
authorised  history  of  Florence,  with  access  to  all 
state  archives ;  and  this  work  he  carried  down  to  the 
year  1574.  His  biography  has  been  written  by  the 
Leccese  Domenico  de  Angelis. 

Giulio  Cesare  Infantino  has  in  his  "  Lecce  Sacra" 
given  us  the  best  picture  of  the  city  as  it  was  in  the 
past.  He  founded  his  book  on  Cesare  d'  Engenio's 
"  Napoli  Sacra,"  but  far  surpassed  his  model.  A  mere 
parish  priest  of  Lecce,  he  has  succeeded  in  producing 
a  book  not  only  useful  to  archaeologist  and  historian, 
but  a  real  literary  work. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  of  Lecce  writers  is  the 
poet  Ascanio  Grandly  who  also  lived  in  this,  the  golden 
age  for  Lecce  literature,  and  whose  four  epic  poems 
were  published  between  1635  and  1646.  "  Tancred," 
the  best  of  them,  has  survived.  It  had  a  great  vogue 
at  the  time  of  its  publication,  and  in  Southern  Italy 
was  reckoned  as  a  classic  with  the  "  Aeneid  "  and  the 
"  Iliad."  The  poem  is  of  great  length,  970  pages,  and 
the  five  cantos  printed  below  will  give  some  idea  of 
its  character — Lecce  and  its  court  of  course  figuring 
prominently  in  the  narrative  : 

I 

Canto  r  Heroe,  ch'  a  la  Citta  di  Dio 
Poiche  co'  Franchi  il  duro  giogo  tolse ; 
Diversi  casi  in  terra,  e'n  mar  soffrio, 
E'n  se  di  cose  alta  notitia  accolse. 

>  Dr.  Richard  Garnett's  "  Italian  Literature,"  pp.  173-4- 


296  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

Pria,  che  giungesse  in  Colco,  ove  il  gran  Zio 
Con  faticosa  giierra  egli  disciolse, 
E  pria  ch'  Africa  unita  al  Re  d'Egitto 
Vinta  da  lui  fosse  in  naval  conflitto. 

II 
Muse  del  Ciel,  formate  in  me  il  disegno 
Vol  di  tal  opra,  e  voi  mie  labra  aprite, 
E  de  r  Inferno,  e  de  I'lempireo  Regno 
In  cio,  quanto  vopo  sia,  tanto  scoprite, 
E  se  v'aggrada,  anco  d'Amor  ritegno, 
(Qual  gli  se  deve)  al  pio  suggetto  unito : 
Donde  volete  incominciate,  e  quanto 
Piace  anco  a  voi,  voi  dilatate  il  canto. 

VI 

Morto  era  in  ceppi  il  Sir  di  Normannia 
Entro  le  soglie  del  suo  Regno  Inglese ; 
Ne  pur  r  altro  Roberto  allhor  gioia  ; 
Ne  Baldouin,  ch'al  regal  Solio  ascese; 
Costui  reggendo  i  Regni  di  Soria, 
Di  fortuna  senti  non  lievi  offese ; 
Poco  regno  Goffredo,  e  peggior  forte 
Forse  attendealo,  e  pia  per  lui  su  morte. 


Per  lo  bello,  e  gentil  costei  temea 
Suo  figlio,  che  d'  etate  era  immatura : 
Temea  no  '1  Zio  si  eccelso  egli  in  Giudea 
Seguisse :  e  poi  scontrasse  ei  rea  sventura 
E  disciplina  d'armi  egli  apprendea 
Di  Lecce  entro  I'antiche,  e  chiare  mura, 
La  dove  il  Conte  Accardo  in  tal  stagione 
A  molti  Itali  Achilli  era  Chirone. 

CV 

Poi  de  la  nobil  Lecce  appo  le  mura 
Tempio  a  quel  Divo  alzo  la  cui  terrena 
Humana  spoglia  in  Bari  apre  si  pura 
Di  sacra  manna  inesseccabil  vena ; 
Anche  splendor  d'illustre  architettura 
Tal  Re  volte  in  tal  Tempio :  anco  c6  piena 
Mano  arricchillo,  e  i  sacri  di  Cassino 
Heroi  chiamovui  alculto  alto  e  divino 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  297 

In  the  eighteenth  century  Lecce  continued  to  pro- 
duce writers,  but  few  of  them  attained  the  reputation 
of  Ammirato  or  Grandi. 

Domenico  de  Angelis  (1675-1788),  a  Lecce  cleric, 
confined  his  attention  to  biographies  of  various 
Salentine  worthies,  his  best  book  being  a  Life  of 
Scipione  Ammirato. 

Franceso  Antonio  Piccinni  (1699- 1786)  rescued  from 
obHvion  various  chronicles  of  the  city,  notably  those 
of  Braccio,  Pannetera,  Pino,  and  Salice.  He  himself 
wrote  several  works  on  the  history  and  antiquities 
of  Lecce,  and  is  also  said  to  have  designed  the  new 
organ  at  Santa  Croce  in  1735,  the  old  one  being  burnt 
up  by  a  thunderbolt  in  that  year. 

In  the  latter  half  of  this  century  a  little  group 
of  dilettante  writers  appeared,  most  of  whom 
wrote  on  very  varied  subjects.  Belli  Pietro,  for 
example,  figures  as  a  translator  and  poet,  but 
nevertheless  is  recorded  as  "  profoundly  versed  in 
philosophy." 

Luigi  Cepolla  {b.  1770)  divided  his  energies  between 
legal  treatises  and  archaeological  researches  round 
Lecce  and  Uggento,  the  ancient  Uxentum. 

Ermenegildo  Persone  also  was  a  writer  on  law,  but 
on  one  occasion  at  least  showed  himself  more  than 
a  quill-driver.  He  returned  to  Lecce  from  his  studies 
at  Naples  to  find  the  place  infested  by  highwaymen, 
the  feeble  Governor  being  powerless,  so  formed  a 
body  of  volunteers  and  drove  the  bandits  out  of  the 
district. 

Lastly,  in  the  early  years  of  last  century  we  find 
the  first  writer  in  the  vernacular,  Francescantonio 
d' Amelio,  who  thus  commenced  an  excellent  work. 
It  will  therefore  be  seen  from  this  sketch  that  though 


298  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

pre-eminently  an  art  city,  Lecce  has  contributed  at 
least  a  small  share  to  Italian  literature.^ 

Southern  Italy  is  justly  famous  for  the  share  it 
has  borne  in  producing  the  present  Italian  opera 
and  drama,  and  the  citizens  of  Lecce  have  always 
encouraged  drama  in  all  forms,  but  especially  opera. 

Throughout  Italy  the  earliest  plays  were  the  so- 
called  "  Commedie  d'  Arte,"  little  better  than  drawing- 
room  charades,  with  certain  stock  characters  always 
personified  by  actors  in  masks.  These  players  were 
frequently  simply  supplied  with  the  plot,  and  so  had 
to  furnish  not  only  the  "  patter,"  but  actually  the 
dialogue  and  principal  situations  entirely  impromptu.^ 
In  Lecce  up  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century 
various  dramatic  compositions,  cantatas,  and  oratorios 
were  given  in  houses,  churches,  or  temporary  wooden 
theatres.  In  carnival  week  of  1709  the  Governor 
(the  Count  of  Montuoro)  arranged  for  "  Commedie 
a  Musica  e  Recitative,"  and  sent  to  Naples  for  a  selec- 
tion of  "  eunuchs  and  singing-girls."  There  was  a  con- 
course of  local  celebrities,  the  Countess  of  Conversano, 
among  others,  came  "  with  a  most  gorgeous  and 
dazzling  retinue."^ 

Then  in  1758  some  eunuchs  arrived  to  give  a  cantata 
in  the  church  of  San  Francesco  di  Paolo.  Their  choice 
was  Metastasio's  Artasersc,  and  they  called  to  their 
aid  certain  Neapolitan  virtuose.  They  opened  a  theatre 
in  the  "  Magazzino  delle  Bombarde,"  where  they 
erected  a  stage,  boxes,  pit,  and  curtain.  All  through 
carnival  week  they  performed  there  with  Francesco 

'  Of  present-day  writers  nothing  has  been  said,  beyond  references  to 
the  work  of  those  who  have  written  about  their  native  city. 
^  Zimmern's  "Italy  of  the  Italians,"  p.  141, 
'  Piccinni's  "  Priorista." 


THE    PEOPLE    OF    LECCE  299 

Pascalini,  one  of  the  eunuchs,  as  stage-manager.  So 
successful  were  they  that  subscriptions  were  renewed 
for  the  coming  winter  (season  1759-60),  on  the  under- 
standing that  Pascalini  would  transform  the  great 
hall  of  the  castle  into  a  theatre.  The  company  in- 
cluded one  Giuseppe  Saracino  as  "  buffo "  and  La 
Trippajuola  as  "  buffa." 

However,  royal  orders  came  from  Naples  that  the 
castle  was  not  suitable  for  theatrical  uses ;  and  so 
three  enthusiasts  for  the  drama — Gaetano  Mancarella, 
Francescantonio  Berardini,  and  his  wife  Margherita 
Perrone — built  the  Teatro  Nuovo  on  the  site  of  two 
shops  which  they  purchased  from  a  monastery.  In 
forty-five  days— surely  a  remarkable  example  of 
hustling — the  theatre  was  opened  on  November  4th, 
1758,  with  Piccinni's  Gelosie.  The  Mancarella  family 
eventually  bought  out  their  partners,  but  in  1867 
sold  it  to  the  Municipio,  who  remodelled  it  completely 
and  opened  it  three  years  later  as  the  *'  Teatro 
Paisiello."  It  is  the  oldest  playhouse  in  all  the 
Neapolitan  provinces. 

The  "  Principi  di  Napoli,"  however,  is  the  principal 
Lecce  theatre,  being  larger  than  the  Paisiello,  but  of 
less  successful  design.  It  is  composed  almost  entirely 
of  boxes — tier  above  tier  up  to  the  lofty  roof.  The 
centre  box  of  the  principal  tier,  facing  the  stage,  is 
that  of  the  Prefect,  who  appears  in  evening  dress 
and  white  gloves,  as  a  contrast  to  the  rest  of  the 
audience.  Smoking  is  not  allowed  (the  whole  place 
being  built  of  wood,  with  very  elementary  ideas  of 
safety  in  case  of  fire),  but  is  surreptitiously  indulged 
in.  In  common  with  most  provincial  theatres  in  Italy, 
the  loud  voice  of  the  prompter  in  his  little  rabbit- 
hutch   on   the   stage   spoils  the  play  for  any  one  in 


300  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  nearest  boxes  of  the  lower  tiers.  This  building 
was  erected  in  1883. 

The  eighteenth  century  saw  the  foundation  of 
theatres  in  most  large  Italian  towns,  and  the  character 
of  the  drama  was  completely  revolutionised  by 
Goldoni,  who  occupies  the  same  position  in  Italy  as 
Moliere  does  in  France.^ 

Besides  the  playhouse  proper,  a  very  important  part 
in  Lecce  life  is  played  by  the  marionettes  or  puppet- 
shows,  where  the  deeds  of  Roland  and  the  Paladins 
are  performed  with  immense  gusto.^  Then  with  the 
march  of  civilisation  has  come  the  cinematograph,  at 
present  located  in  the  Salone  Margherita,  near  the 
Castle. 

The  principal  Lecce  musician  in  history  is  Giuseppe 
Lillo,  born  in  18 14,  and  trained  at  Naples,  where  his 
first  opera,  Giojcllo,  was  given  at  the  Teatro  Nuovo 
in  1835.  His  best  work  is  Rosmunda  in  Ravenna 
(Fenice,  Venice,   1837). 

Losing  his  reason,  he  died  at  Naples  in  1863. 

Nothing  has  been  said  of  the  music  of  the  charming 
folk-songs  still  handed  down  in  Lecce,  but  in  Mrs. 
Ross's  book  some  of  the  best  ones  are  to  be  found, 
words  and  music.^ 

'  De  Simone  gives  lists  of  first  performances  at  this  theatre,  of 
other  pieces  performed  there,  and  of  Lecce  sacred  music  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  etc. 

^  For  very  good  description  see  Ross,  pp.  243-5. 

^  Ibid.  129,  159,  235,  259. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE 

Lecce  is  the  centre  of  a  district  which  is  interesting 
rather  from  historical  associations,  or  from  the  quaint 
customs  of  its  people,  than  by  reason  of  any  grandeur 
of  nature.  The  Terra  d'  Otranto  may  be  roughly 
divided  into  three  districts,  in  each  there  being  a  large 
town :  Taranto  in  the  west,  Brindisi  in  the  north, 
Lecce  in  the  south.  Mrs.  Ross  has  written  of  modern 
Taranto — the  writers  of  old,  too,  have  made  it  almost 
a  household  word  to  historians— and  Mr.  Hamilton 
Jackson  has  written  something  of  Brindisi,  so  that  it 
is  more  satisfactory  here  to  deal  simply  with  the 
neighbourhood  of  Lecce  and  with  the  district  lying- 
south  of  it. 

To  begin  with,  no  startling  landscape  effects  are  to 
be  expected.  The  country  between  Lecce  and  the 
two  neighbouring  sea-coasts  is  practically  flat,  but 
as  one  proceeds  farther  south  hills  are  found,  reaching 
their  highest  point,  about  six  hundred  and  twenty  feet, 
near  Alessano.  From  Gallipoli  there  is  a  fine  view  of 
the  northern  slopes  of  these  hills,  which  terminate 
abruptly  in  the  lofty  white  cliffs  near  S.  Maria  di 
Leuca. 

There   is   a   phenomenon   in   the   Terra   d'  Otranto 

301 


302  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

which  hes  in  the  doubtful  borderland  between  fact 
and  fancy,  the  strange  mirage  figuring  in  so  many 
travellers'  tales,  and  standing  in  relation  to  science 
much  as  does  the  sea-serpent. 

This  "  mutate  "  or  "  scangiate  "  is  no  new  thing, 
and  even  in  the  fifteenth  century  it  is  recorded  that 
the  whole  province  was  deceived,  messengers  being 
dispatched  to  warn  governors  of  all  neighbouring 
towns  and  fortresses  of  the  approach  of  a  large 
Turkish  fleet.  From  Monte  Gargano  to  the  Capo  di 
Leuca  the  news  was  hurried,  but  the  Turks  never 
came.  M.  Paul  Bourget  tried  his  best  to  see  the 
wonder,  but  his  patience  was  unrewarded.  Mrs.  Ross 
too  in  recent  years  anxiously  looked  for  some  trace  of 
it,  and  was  favoured  with  an  excellent  view  from  the 
train  one  day.  She  quotes  a  canto  from  Ascanio 
Grandi  : 

Tal  nel  Magna  Graecia,  altera  vista, 
Non  lungi  il  fonte  del  mio  patrio  Idume. 
O  giardin  novo,  o  citta  nova  6  vista 
Prima  che  spunti  in  Oriente  il  lume, 
O  repentini  allettano  la  vista 
Navili,  e  pur  prima  che  il  ciel  s'  allume  : 
Poi  fugge  il  simulacro,  e  gli  occhi  sgombra, 
E  novello  stupor  le  menti  ingombra.' 

The  life  of  the  Apulian  peasant  is  far  from  being 
the  happy,  careless  dream  so  often  imagined  by  poets 
who  rhapsodise  over  Italy's  pleasant  clime.  Neither 
farmer  nor  labourer  sleeps  on  a  bed  of  roses.     The 

'  "  Tlius  in  Magna  Graecia,  a  glorious  sight  not  far  from  where 
springs  my  native  Idume,  a  new  garden  or  a  new  unknown  city  rises 
before  the  sun  illumines  the  eastern  sky,  or  suddenly  ships  rejoice  the 
sight  before  the  sky  is  ablaze.  Then  the  phantom  vanishes,  one's 
vision  clears,  and  wonder  tills  the  mind  anew." — Mrs.  Ross's  transla- 
tion. 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  303 

large  landed  proprietor  seldom  lives  on  his  estates  ; 
the  small  farmer  is  lacking  in  much  technical  skill  and, 
as  he  has  to  pay  his  labourers  on  the  nail,  is  often 
reduced  to  borrowing  after  a  bad  harvest  on  his 
expectations  of  the  next  being  a  good  one.  His  capital 
is  usually  little,  the  soil  is  poor,  and  there  are  few 
rural  industries.  The  labourers  live  wretchedly,  their 
average  wages  being  two  francs  a  day  in  summer,  one 
and  a  half  in  winter,  with  no  pay  in  bad  weather. 
There  are  practically  no  country  cottages,  so  that  the 
labourer  may  have  to  walk  many  miles  to  his  work. 
The  whole  agrarian  system  of  Italy  suffers  from  the 
habit  of  delegating  the  management  of  estates  by 
absent  owners  to  unscrupulous  agents. 

The  climate  has  been  injured  by  the  scarcity  of 
trees,  which  are  grown  only  for  their  fruit,  timber 
being  unprofitable.  The  Umbrian  oak  forests  are 
planted  solely  for  the  purpose  of  feeding  pigs. 

Yet  this  life  has  a  very  picturesque  side.  Women 
sing  plaintive  and  beautiful  old  songs  as  they  work 
in  the  huge  fields,  or  as  they  tramp  home  in  little 
processions  after  the  long  day's  work.  The  horses 
are  fine,  sturdy  little  animals,  equal  to  forty  or  fifty 
miles  a  day.  Men  still  carry  earth  in  little  shoulder- 
baskets  as  in  primitive  Egypt ;  their  plough  is  a 
fearsome  object,  and  spades  are  unknown. 

In  the  "masserie"  or  farmhouses  of  this  land  are 
some  of  the  happiest  and  most  contented  folk  on  earth, 
in  spite  of  a  ceaseless  struggle  against  circumstances 
and  even  against  the  elements. 

There  are  two  places  near  Lecce,  both  easy  of 
access,  which  merit  a  visit  from  their  associations 
alone. 


304  IN   THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

The  ancient  port  of  San  Cataldo  on  the  Adriatic, 
a  name  which  has  already  crossed  our  path  more  than 
once,  Hes  seven  miles  east  of  the  city,  approached 
by  a  perfectly  straight  road  skirted  by  the  rails  and 
poles  of  an  electric  tramway  or  light  railway,  much 
patronised  in  the  summer  bathing  season. 

A  little  storm-battered  breakwater,  a  few  small 
fishing-boats,  a  white  lighthouse,  an  "  osteria,"  a 
guard-room  for  the  marine  sentinels,  who  watch  for 
Austrian  gunboats  from  over  the  sea — such  is  all  that 
remains  of  this  ancient  and  historic  site  on  the  low 
sand-dunes.  The  blue  waves  stretch  in  front,  the 
wires  of  the  railway  and  the  sheds  of  the  bathing- 
station  on  our  right — an  almost  deserted  scene.  On 
each  side  is  a  long  flat  sandy  shore,  with  the  towers 
which  Charles  V.  erected  long  ago  dotting  the 
horizon.^ 


'  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by  the  author  on 
March  30,  1909,  has  some  bearing  on  S.  Cataldo  : 

"...  After  lunch  I  set  off  awheel  down  the  straight  and  bumpy- 
road  to  the  little  harbour  of  Lecce  at  San  Cataldo  on  the  Adriatic, 
7^  miles  away.  Arrived  there,  I  asked  a  fisher-boy  a  few  foolish 
questions  as  to  when  it  was  built  and  how  it  had  been  destroyed.  I 
thought  he  seemed  suspicious,  but  did  not  worry,  and  went  into  the 
trattofia  adjoining  for  some  wine.  Here  were  four  Lecce  sportsmen, 
who  had  come  out  from  the  city  with  rods  and  guns  in  search  of  game, 
like  St.  Orontius  of  old.  Fish  and  wild  duck  represented  their  bag. 
One  had  lived  in  London — Paddington  to  wit — and  spoke  English.  I 
declined  their  kind  offer  to  share  in  halfpenny  nap  or  something  similar, 
and  found  their  proffered  drink — a  spirit — so  warm  and  invigorating 
that  I  took  only  a  few  sips  for  courtesy's  sake. 

"  I  then  said  good-bye,  and  began  a  sketch  of  the  lighthouse  and 
dunes  a  little  way  off.  Imagine  my  surprise  to  be  approached  almost 
immediately  by  two  soldiers,  and  to  be  politely  told  that  I  must  satisfy 
the  military  authorities  at  Lecce  that  I  was  not  an  Austrian  spy  from 
over  the  water.  Explanations  seem.ed  useless  ;  my  passports  fell  flat, 
and  the  English-speaking  man  could  do  nothing.  So  I  had  to  go  to 
the  guard-room,  and  wait  till  a  trap  was  ready.     The  soldiers  were 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  305 

A  very  different  spot  is  Cavallino,  the  village  where 
lived  the  famous  Lecce  patriot  Castromediano,  about 
two  miles  south  of  Lecce.  Bourget  says  so  much 
of  a  sentimental  nature  about  the  great  chateau  here, 
and  the  guide-books  wax  so  enthusiastic  about  its 
architecture,  that  one  is  disappointed  to  find  it  inferior 
to  many  contemporary  palaces  in  Lecce,  and  depend- 
ing almost  entirely  on  associations.  The  whole 
village — chateau  included — has  a  deserted  appearance, 
and  looks  as  if  some  great  cyclone  or  fire  had  swept 
over  it. 

decent  fellows,  and  offered  me  hospitality.     I  noticed  a  pot  of  wild 
flowers  as  the  only  ornament  in  their  stone-floored  room. 

"  After  a  long  wait — an  hour  and  a  half — we  set  off,  the  sergeant  and 
I  being  accommodated  in  one  of  the  sportsmen's  hired  'busses  from 
Lecce  at  my  expense — 2^.  ^d.  for  the  two  !  My  bicycle  was  insecurely 
tied  on  top. 

"  It  was  a  strange  journey,  an  occasion  for  boisterous  mirth  among 
the  '  guns,'  and  of  some  embarrassment  for  me.  We  reached  Lecce 
in  the  dark  at  7  p.m. — the  time  when  I  was  to  meet  the  officers  at  my 
hotel  for  dinner  before  the  promised  evening  in  their  box  at  the  theatre. 
I  had  made  much  of  being  a  friend  of  the  Colonel's,  and  this  stood 
me  in  good  stead.  Otherwise  I  should  certainly  have  been  locked  up 
overnight  at  least !  As  it  was,  I  was  paraded  through  Lecce  from  one 
barracks  to  another  trying  to  find  the  Colonel  or  some  other  officer. 
At  last  we  went  to  the  Prefecture,  and  now  another  officer — a  captain, 
I  think — had  joined  our  '  little  band  and  lowly,'  and  was  marching 
behind  me  in  most  oppressively  military  fashion.  The  sergeant  brought 
up  the  rear,  carrying  my  sketching  satchel.  As  we  reached  the  dark 
staircase  three  tall  figures  in  cloaks  came  up.  They  were  my  friends 
of  the  dinner-table,  who  had  sent  out  a  search-party  for  me,  and  had 
heard  somehow  that  I  was  arrested,  so  had  all  come  to  the  rescue, 
which  was  very  good  of  them. 

"  A  short  interview  was  held  with  the  officer  and  deputy  command- 
ing the  whole  province  (a  wonderful  person  with  unlimited  braid). 
I  had  to  sign  my  name ;  my  sketch  was  carefully  scrutinised,  and  after 
a  few  minutes  I  was  let  loose. 

"  My  friends  were  greatly  amused ;  took  my  arms,  one  each,  and 
made  jokes  about  Italy  arresting  friendly  youths  ! 

"  So  I  tidied  up,  bolted  dinner,  and  went  off  with  them  to  the 
theatre.  ..." 

20 


3o6  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 


Galatina  and  Soleto 

These  two  towns  lie  only  two  miles  apart,  some 
twelve  miles  south  of  Lecce,  and  form  an  excellent 
objective  for  a  day's  outing.  By  train  the  journey 
occupies  about  an  hour,  by  road  there  is  a  choice 
of  two  routes  :  one  by  Sternatia,  the  other  by  San 
Cesario  di  Lecce.  The  latter  is  a  bright  little  town 
of  over  five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  contains  a 
number  of  palaces  and  churches  of  the  same  baroque 
character  as  Lecce  itself,  though  for  the  most  part 
in  a  slightly  less  finished  style. 

From  here  to  Galatina  the  road  runs  straight.  No 
villages  break  its  loneliness,  and  for  most  of  the 
distance  olive  groves  line  both  sides.  Yet  the  country 
hereabouts  is  not  absolutely  flat,  but  pleasantly  roll- 
ing, with  good  views  every  now  and  then,  and  in 
certain  lights  is  richly  coloured. 

Sternatia  is  the  only  village  between  Lecce  and 
Soleto,  and  is  noteworthy  for  its  enormous  church, 
which  rises  from  the  plain  with  huge  baroque  towers, 
as  in  so  many  little  towns  round  here.  Indeed,  the 
cubical  contents  of  this  great  pile  must  equal  the 
aggregate  of  all  the  flat-topped  hovels  that  constitute 
the  dwellings  of  the  poor  parishioners. 

The  roads  round  here  run  through  stretches  of 
almost  moor-like  country,  though  most  of  it  is  in- 
tensely cultivated,  with  the  bare  rock  cropping  up 
all  over  the  rich  red  fields. 

Cycling  can  be  recommended,  for  the  surface  is 
fairly  good  ;  there  are  no  impossible  gradients,  and 
there  is  a  refreshing  absence  of  motor-cars.^ 

'  A  bicycle  can  be  hired  in  Lecce  for  about  lour  francs  per  day. 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  307 

Galatina  as  a  town  suffers  severely  at  the  outset 
by  having  only  one  "  lion,"  and  that  a  well-known  one. 
The  fine  church  of  Santa  Caterina  stands  near  the 
centre  of  the  place,  and  dates  from  the  late  fourteenth 
century,  having  been  built  in  1390  by  Raimondello 
del  Balzo  Orsini,  Count  of  Soleto,  who  is  responsible 
for  two  of  the  finest  specimens  of  Gothic  architecture 
in  Southern  Italy,  both  of  them  national  monuments. 
His  reason  for  erecting  another  church  was  "  because 
the  principal  one,  San  Pietro,  was  served  according 
to  the  Greek  rite,  and  all  the  priests  were  Greek,  and 
so  was  the  language  ;  so  that  those  Latins  who  under- 
stood not  the  Greek  tongue  could  not  pray  to  God  in 
a  language  they  comprehended." 

The  exterior,  as  first  seen  by  a  traveller  from  the 
piazza  in  front  of  the  western  fagade,  recalls  the 
portals  of  San  Nicolo  e  Cataldo  at  Lecce,  and  many 
another  Apulian  shrine.  Over  the  door,  in  the  tym- 
panum, and  below  the  actual  arch  of  the  tympanum 
slab,  is  a  row  of  thirteen  little  sculptured  figures — 
Our  Lord  and  the  twelve  apostles.  The  panelling  of 
the  door  itself,  the  rich  mouldings  around  it,  the 
columns  on  either  side,  recall  San  Nicolo  ;  but  the 
row  of  sculptured  figures,  the  fine  lions  supporting 
and  surmounting  the  columns,  the  low  gable  over  the 
whole,  are  all  additions  to  Tancred's  fine  earlier  type. 
The  beautiful  rose-window  above,  the  smaller  portals 
flanking  the  fagade,  combine  with  this  grand  entrance 
to  form  one  of  the  most  beautiful  compositions  of  its 
period  in  Italy. 

Within,  the  church  is  richly  vaulted,  covered  with 
frescoes,  adorned  with  tombs,  and  culminates  in  a 
lofty  apse  with  tracery  windows. 

It  is  of  basilican  form,  with   five  aisles   separated 


3o8  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

by  columns,  piers,  and  walls.  A  lady  chapel  with  a 
roof  gracefully  vaulted  lies  behind  the  high  altar  and 
forms  the  apse. 

Two  of  the  existing  monuments  are  interesting, 
one  being  the  tomb  of  Raimondello  on  the  right  of 
the  high  altar.  The  painted  canopy  above,  the  hands 
and  feet  of  the  kneeling  knight,  have  alike  been 
damaged  by  lightning.  His  son  Giovannantonio  built 
the  lady  chapel  fifty  years  later  to  contain  his  own 
magnificent  tomb,  surrounded  by  angels  and  crouch- 
ing lions.  The  picturesque  baroque  organ  loft  of 
carved  wood  in  the  nave  should  be  noticed. 

But  it  is  the  frescoes  in  this  church  rather  than 
its  architecture  which  have  received  the  chief  atten- 
tion of  critics. 

The  first  series,  in  the  nave,  is  the  best,  and  is 
considered  by  students  of  such  work  to  resemble 
Florentine  painting,  the  colouring  and  drawing  being 
very  delicate.  The  ceiling  pictures  represent  (in 
order)  the  Virtues,  the  Apocalypse,  the  Paradise ; 
and,  on  the  upper  walls :  the  Creation,  the  life  of 
Christ,  and  the  Sacraments.  Over  the  high  altar  is 
'*  The  Doctors  of  the  Church,"  on  each  side  the  life 
of  St.  Catherine. 

In  the  right  aisle  is  a  row  of  much-defaced  frescoes, 
including  one  of  Saint  Anthony  with  Raimondello 
kneeling  at  his  feet  in  complete  armour,  except  for 
his  stockings — one  red  and  one  white !  It  appears 
that  it  was  his  practice  to  wear  this  weird  garb  ever 
after  he  was  wounded  in  battle  by  Charles  Durazzo 
in  the  leg.  These  frescoes  are  inferior  to  those  of 
the  nave,  and  are  signed  "  Franciscus  De  Arecio  fecit 

MCCCCXXXV." 

Of  the  other  churches  of  Galatina,  San   Pietro  is 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  309 

noteworthy    as    possessing    an    interesting    baroque 
fagade.     It  stands  close  to  Santa  Caterina. 

Beyond  these  two  churches  the  town  is  by  no 
means  destitute  of  good  buildings,  for  it  abounds  in 
examples  of  baroque,  fanciful  little  street  facades  with 
richly  carved  balconies.  Of  these  latter  one  near 
the  chief  piazza  closely  resembles  that  illustrated  in 
fig-  33-  The  streets,  too,  are  very  much  like  those 
of  Lecce :  narrow,  winding,  well-paved,  and  full  of 
surprises.  But  whereas  the  larger  town  stands  in 
an  unprotected  plain  Galatina  is  as  a  city  set  on  a 
hill,  and  its  site  is  obviously  chosen  with  an  eye  to 
dominating  the  undulating  country  round. 

At  the  close  of  the  fourteenth  century  Raimondello 
del  Balzo  Orsini  built  the  strong  walls  we  now  see 
at  his  own  expense,  for  he  owed  the  inhabitants  no 
less  a  debt  than  his  life.  He  had  been  captured  by 
the  Turks  in  the  Holy  Land,  and  was  rescued  from 
a  terrible  death  with  a  ransom  of  12,000  ducats. 

Like  Lecce,  Galatina  is  not  a  city  living  on  its  past. 
In  fact,  in  spite  of  its  national  monument,  its  in- 
habitants seem  indifferent  to  such  things.  The  rail- 
way station  is  being  enlarged,  and  is  surrounded  by 
large  wine  and  oil  depots,  also  being  extended.  These 
high  blocks  of  buildings  with  unmade  streets  be- 
tween, wide  and  stony,  suggest  American  enterprise 
rather  than  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  The  windy  and 
bare-looking  space  dividing  these  industrial  structures 
from  the  older  part  of  the  town  is  surrounded  by 
weedy  trees,  an  attempt  at  a  Garden  City,  and  the 
combination  is  not  a  success.  Galatina  is  evidently 
a  problem — one  of  those  places  where  the  new  spirit 
of  Italy  is  supplanting  the  old ;  and  while  eating  a 
plain   but  decent  meal  at  the  Albergo   Sammartino 


310  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

the  traveller  muses  on  this  strange  process  in  progress 
where  twenty-five  centuries  ago  the  Greeks  founded 
a  strong  city. 

Very  different  from  Galatina  is  the  sister-town  of 
Soleto,  lying  in  the  plain  only  a  mile  or  two  to  the 
east.  Galatina  stands  strongly  walled,  a  line  of  white 
and  golden  stone  above  its  bastions  on  the  hill. 
Soleto  is  a  crowded  huddle  of  small  white  houses 
with  flat  roofs  round  the  magnificent  campanile 
towering  above  them.  Galatina  is  a  town  with  a 
present  and  a  future,  Soleto  a  place  with  a  past,  a 
place  whose  narrow  alleys  do  not  allow  two  small 
carts  to  pass  conveniently,  and  where  no  piazza 
affords  room  for  market-booths.  Surely  there  is  no 
place  in  all  Italy  with  straiter  ways  than  Soleto, 
where  the  main  street  resembles  a  Venetian  calle. 
In  one  respect  the  simile  fails ;  Venice  is  essentially 
a  city  of  many  colours,  Soleto  of  one  alone,  and 
that — staring,  dazzling  white. 

It  is  not  an  attractive  town,  and  its  inhabitants 
do  not  impress  one  with  a  sense  of  the  refinement 
of  Lecce.  But  in  the  glories  of  its  campanile  we 
are  apt  to  forget  that  it  is  no  more  than  a  village, 
that  it  harbours  less  than  three  thousand  souls,  and 
that  so  near  to  Galatina  there  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  expect  to  find  shops,  or  indeed  anything  but 
the  cottages  where  the  people  sleep. 

Yet  Soleto  also  dates  back  to  Greek  times,  and  as 
Pliny  mentions  it  as  Soletum  there  must  have  been 
continuous  life  ever  since  those  days.  In  mediaeval 
times  it  may  have  been  larger  than  it  is  to-day,  and 
the  Greek  cult  prevailed  in  the  church  up  to  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  is  interesting  to 
find  that  the  last  Greek  high-priest  became  the  first 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  311 

of  the  Latin  faith,  an  event  recalling  certain  occur- 
rences in  England  as  portrayed  in  "  The  Vicar  of 
Bray." 

There  can  be  no  two  opinions  as  to  the  artistic 
merits  of  the  beautiful  tower  of  Soleto,  a  national 
monument,  and  one  well  deserving  that  honour.  It 
is  impossible  to  compare  it  with  a  contemporary 
English  Gothic  steeple  any  more  than  one  can  com- 
pare Westminster  and  St.  Paul's.  But  range  this 
lovely  campanile  by  Giotto's  marble  masterpiece,  or 
by  Verona's  famous  example,  and  it  maintains  its 
position  well  as  one  of  the  two  or  three  finest  towers 
in  all  Italy.     (See  fig.  12.) 

The  detail  is  perfect,  and  not  unlike  that  of  its 
Florentine  rival,  but  at  Soleto  there  is  none  of  the 
clumsy,  top-heavy  appearance  associated  with  the 
Tuscan  example.  The  cupola,  covered  in  later  baroque 
days  with  glazed  and  coloured  tiles,  gives  just  the 
requisite  finish  to  an  unrivalled  treatment  of  wall- 
surface.  The  stone  varies  in  colour  with  different 
lights,  but  as  a  rule  inclines  to  grey,  richly  tinged 
with  the  gold  and  bronze  of  lichen.  The  best  view 
of  it  is  not  that  usually  chosen  by  photographers, 
with  the  dull  flank  of  a  wretched  baroque  nave  below, 
but  from  some  point  outside  the  city,  where  there  is 
a  contrast  between  its  grey  outline  rising  into  an 
azure  sky,  or  against  thunder-laden  clouds  and  the 
white  walls,  almond-blossom,  and  heavy  green  cactus 
below.  This  architectural  masterpiece  was  erected 
in  1397  by  Raimondello  Balzo  Orsini  "for  the  honour 
of  his  name,"  and  assuredly  has  served  its  purpose 
well.  For  once  the  architect's  name  too  has  survived, 
one  Francesco  Colaci,  of  Surbo,  near  Lecce. 

Two  smaller  churches  have  a  certain  archaeological 


312  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

interest.  San  Stefano  has  a  good  doorway,  with 
pilasters  crowned  by  a  lion  and  an  eagle,  but  its  chief 
feature  is  the  fine  fourteenth-century  frescoes,  an 
example  of  work  in  the  Byzantine  style  by  Italian 
artists. 

Santa  Lucia,  outside  the  walls,  is  a  little  ruined 
fourteenth-century  chapel. 

Gallipoli 

If  Lecce  is  the  Florence  of  Apulia,  Gallipoli  may 
safely  put  in  a  claim  to  be  known  as  its  Gibraltar. 
Out  in  the  shining  Ionian  Sea,  it  is  perhaps  the  most 
beautifully  situated  town  of  the  Terra  d'Otranto. 
As  the  train  from  Lecce,  which  has  probably  brought 
us  from  a  visit  to  Galatina  and  Soleto,  curls  round 
the  little  hills  descending  to  the  seashore,  a  view  is 
obtained  at  intervals  of  this  rock-bound  port.  The 
railway  station  lies  on  the  mainland,  in  the  large 
new  suburb  of  Borgo,  where  lives  a  great  part  of 
the  population,  especially  the  considerable  foreign 
element.  The  streets  are  certainly — as  an  Italian 
guide-book  says — "  regular  and  wide,"  but  the  shops 
are  not  "large  and  well  built."  There  is  some 
resemblance  to  the  modern  quarter  of  Galatina,  for 
in  both  cases  the  most  prominent  buildings  in  these 
bare,  half-finished  blocks  are  devoted  to  the  wine 
industry. 

Turning  towards  Gallipoli  proper,  and  leaving  the 
Borgo  behind  us,  the  first  object  of  interest  is  the 
fine  fountain,  of  the  Graeco-Roman  period,  which 
stands  at  the  corner  of  the  long  bridge  at  its  mainland 
end.  It  is  a  strange  piece  of  work — both  the  caryatid 
and  the  bas-relief  figures  being  almost  grotesque — and 


35-       THE    QUAY,    GAl.I.IPOLI 


36.      THE  OUTER   WALLS,    GALLIPOLI 


,,      3I2l 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  313 

appears  to  have  been  restored  in  baroque  times.  The 
water  supplying  this  fountain  is  brought  three-quarters 
of  a  mile  from  the  mainland  hills,  and  is  carried  on 
into  the  old  city. 

From  the  fountain  a  long  bridge  of  twelve  low 
arches  connects  island  and  mainland,  forming  the 
only  means  of  access  to  sea-girt  Gallipoli ;  and  at 
its  eastern  end  the  vendors  of  fish — tunny,  cuttlefish, 
and  all  manner  of  strange  creatures — cry  their  wares. 
From  this  point  the  finest  view  of  the  town  can  be 
obtained.  In  the  foreground  rises  the  strong  castle 
constructed  by  Charles  of  Anjou.  Ferdinand  I.  altered 
and  restored  castle  and  walls,  which  rise  straight 
from  the  calcareous  tufa  rock  of  which  the  island  is 
formed,  and  produce  an  appearance  of  great  strength 
and  impregnability.  The  walls  formerly  surrounded 
the  city,  and  thus  excluded  fresh  air  and  sunshine, 
but  in  recent  times  were  razed  on  hygienic  grounds. 
The  result  is  to  greatly  improve  the  place  from  a 
visitor's  point  of  view,  although  in  its  earlier  state 
the  walls — almost  concealing  the  houses  and  churches 
within — must  have  presented  a  formidable  front  to 
an  enemy. 

From  the  quays,  which  take  their  place,  a  wonderful 
view  of  the  coastline  of  the  Gulf  of  Taranto  is  obtained, 
sixty  miles  of  far-flung  cliffs  and  sands,  a  tower,  a 
lighthouse,  or  a  white  and  dazzling  village ;  in  front 
the  little  group  of  islands  which  shelter  Gallipoli  and 
constitute  its  claim  to  be  called  a  port,  a  lofty  "  faro  " 
on  one  of  them  to  protect  the  mariner.  Landwards 
the  gentle  curves  of  green-clad  hills,  the  date  palms 
and  gardens  of  Alezio,  the  olive  groves  of  the  villages 
beyond ;  and  farther  still,  the  loftier  slopes  of  the 
Capo  district  rising  several  hundred  feet,  brown  and 


314  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

fertile.  And  we  remember  that  these  hills  on  their 
other  side  drop  abruptly  into  the  waves  at  the 
extremity  of  Italy,  forming  the  white  cliffs  of  Santa 
Maria  di  Leuca,  known  to  sailors  almost  as  early  in 
history  as  such  people  ever  existed. 

On  the  quay  where  we  stand  the  sun  beats  down 
fiercely.  Two  grown  men,  old  enough  to  know  better, 
are  throwing  jagged  stones  down  on  the  rocks  below, 
where  a  beautiful  green  lizard  is  disporting  itself  out 
of  reach  of  the  gently  breaking  waves.  For  it  is  only 
too  terribly  true  that  in  those  places  where  everything 
in  Nature  is  so  lovely,  men  are  more  cruel  to  the 
dumb  creation  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 
Of  Southern  Italy  as  a  whole  this  seems  to  be  an 
indisputable  fact,  of  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  it  is  only 
so  in  a  measure  ;  for  the  Apulian,  and  especially  the 
Leccese  horses,  do  not  bear  the  same  marks  of 
cruelty  and  neglect  as  their  kind  in  Naples  and  Sicily. 
Another  adult  group  is  engrossed  in  kite-flying  of  a 
scientific  order. 

In  the  piazza  outside  the  cathedral,  densely  crowded, 
a  procession  is  forming  up,  for  this  is  the  festa  of 
Santa  Maria  Addolorata.  In  front  a  brass  band,  then 
a  number  of  men  in  black,  bearing  on  their  chests  two 
coloured  discs  with  sacred  emblems,  walking  in  pairs ; 
then  follow  boys  in  surplices,  priests  in  gorgeous 
robes  (for  the  cleric  in  Southern  Italy  makes  a  brave 
show  on  such  occasions),  and  then  more  laymen, 
perspiring  under  the  weight  of  the  Madonna's  effigy, 
shrouded  in  black.  It  is  a  scorching  sun,  and  the 
great  candles  borne  by  these  lugubrious  devotees  are 
shedding  wax  all  over  their  robes.  The  rearguard 
consists  of  a  large  crowd  of  women,  silent  for  once 
on  this  grave  day. 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  315 

In  the  murmuring  silence  the  band  sounds  one  deep 
full  chord  mezzo  forte — a  chord  gaining  in  solemnity 
by  its  range  and  its  isolation.  Then  from  the  hush 
accentuated  by  this  one  blast  the  musicians  break 
into  a  delightful  fantasia,  lighter  than  the  solid  chorale 
with  which  a  German  bandmaster  would  celebrate 
such  an  occasion,  more  refined  than  the  ponderous 
vulgarity  of  an  English  procession.  Light  as  are  the 
strains,  they  are  in  perfect  taste,  and  somehow  convey 
a  religious  spirit  as  they  move  away  down  the  street, 
rising  with  a  magnificent  crescendo,  and  then  again 
dying  away,  followed  again  by  silence  for  perhaps  half 
an  hour.  Thus  the  churches  of  the  city  are  visited  in 
turn,  and  at  each  church  there  is  suddenly  a  deafening 
thunder — a  sound  as  if  an  enemy's  guns  had  been 
revealed,  and  as  if  Gallipoli  were  now  returning  the 
fire.  Fireworks,  as  we  know  them,  save  at  some 
great  exhibition,  are  harmless  things  meet  for  babes, 
but  to  the  religious  of  Southern  Italy  their  noise  is  a 
very  fearsome  and  a  very  tremendous  thing.  Could 
any  man  doubt  the  Italian's  reputed  love  of  a  clatter, 
he  would  withdraw  all  objections  after  hearing  re- 
ligious fireworks. 

Gallipoli,  in  its  saner  moments,  has  a  more  abiding 
attraction — the  beauty  of  its  maidens ;  and  this  people 
forms  a  peculiar  ethnological  oasis  due  to  its  cos- 
mopolitan history. 

But  a  seaport  is  never  an  earthly  paradise  :  some 
seaports  are  indeed  the  nearest  approach  to  purgatory 
devised  by  man,  and  the  Apulian  Navigation  Com- 
pany's big  steamers  are  not  bringers  of  unmixed 
blessings.  The  Gallipoli  citizen,  hanging  over  the 
parapet  at  the  quayside  and  spitting  into  the  sea, 
looks  up  with  a   scowl   at   the  advent  of  a   stranger 


3i6  IN    THE    HEEL   OF    ITALY 

within  his  gates,  and  does  not  scruple  to  ask  him  his 
business. 

GalHpoli  is  full  of  interesting  baroque  palaces,  the 
present  post-office  being  one  of  them  remodelled, 
and  the  resemblance  to  Lecce  work  is  close.  In  the 
cathedral  of  St.  Agatha  there  is  much  to  please. 
Grey  marble  columns  carry  the  nave  arcade ;  and  all 
this  detail  shows  the  strange  mixture  of  classic, 
Byzantine,  and  Renaissance  elements  really  well 
combined.  The  ceiling  is  a  gorgeous  affair  of  gilt 
and  colouring,  with  fair  paintings  and  heraldry. 

The  date  of  the  building  is  1629,  the  architects 
being  Francesco  Bischetini  and  Scipione  Lachibari  of 
Gallipoli,  but  much  of  the  detail  dates  from  1696. 
Generally  speaking,  the  paintings  in  this  church 
attain  a  remarkably  high  level,  and  are  from  the 
brush  of  Gian  Andrea  Coppola  and  Count  Nicolo 
Malinconico,  two  local  artists.  A  recent  fall  of  the 
roof  destroyed  many  of  these  pictures,  Coppola's 
among  them,  but  a  very  capable  restoration  by  a 
Leccese  painter,  Cav.  Luigi  Scorrano,  has  been 
successfully  carried  out.  The  marbles  of  the  reredos 
and  altar  steps  are  magnificent,  also  the  walnut  choir 
and  pulpit  by  George  Aver,  a  German.  The  striking 
baroque  facade  of  this  cathedral  is  so  cramped  by  its 
situation  that  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  a  good  view  of 
it,  but  it  has  few  merits.  Its  chief  defect  is  the  one 
common  to  so  many  churches  in  Lecce — its  detach- 
ment from  the  nave — and  in  this  case  the  contrast  is 
heightened  by  the  difference  in  colour. 

The  museum  at  Gallipoli  at  first  glance  impresses 
a  visitor,  for  such  things  are  uncommon  in  small 
towns.  It  is  enshrined  in  a  modern  building  of  two 
storeys.     On  the  ground  floor  is  a  library ;  a  sleepy 


2.. A   09 


The  fSst  OfftcL 


M.  S.  B.  del. 


37.      THE    POST    OFFICE,    GALLIPOLl 


^ 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  317 

young  priest  nominally  in  charge  pores  over  a  book, 
and  a  knot  of  noisy  schoolboys  quarrel  over  their 
lessons  at  a  side-table.  In  the  gallery  above  is  a 
motley  collection,  containing  many  interesting  objects 
of  antiquity.  The  addition  of  natural  history  speci- 
mens, however,  is  not  a  happy  combination,  though 
no  doubt  of  educational  value.  Finally,  we  commend 
to  all  those  who  revel  in  surgical  operations,  and  the 
nasty  side  of  life,  the  two  or  three  cases  of  horrors 
decently  veiled  with  curtains  from  the  eyes  of 
Gallipoli's  younger  sons,  but  shown  to  all  visitors, 
willy-nilly,  by  the  enthusiastic  custodian. 

Gallipoli  has  a  stirring  and  an  eventful  history.  Its 
foundation  is  attributed  to  three  plausible  sources  : 
a  migration  from  an  ancient  Sicilian  city  of  the  same 
name  in  389  b,c,,  a  Messapian  colony,  or  a  Cretan 
settlement.  Its  Greek  name  {Callipolis,  "  fine  city ") 
sufficiently  proclaims  its  existence  in  the  palmy  days 
of  the  Ionian  Sea  ;  Mela  calls  it  "  Urbs  Graja  Callipolis," 
and  Dionysius  tells  us  that  the  city  was  founded  by  a 
Lacedaemonian — Leucippus — with  the  approval  and 
aid  of  the  Tarentines,  who  formerly  had  a  small 
station  there,  Pliny  notes  that  it  was  called  *'  Anxa  " 
in  his  day.  Through  the  Dark  and  Middle  Ages  its 
history  is  similar  to  that  of  Lecce, 

It  was  sacked  by  the  Vandals  in  a.d.  450,  gallantly 
resisted  the  Norman  conquerors,  and  then  became 
part  of  the  principality  of  Taranto  granted  to  Bohe- 
mund.  The  inhabitants  joined  in  the  Angevin  wars 
and  suffered  from  plague  and  Turkish  ravages.  Then 
in  1484  came  a  serious  and  unexpected  war.  The 
Pope  (Sixtus  IV.),  in  alliance  with  the  Venetian 
Republic,  was  in  arms  against  Ferdinand  of  Naples, 
and  in  order  to  force  that  king  to  withdraw  his  troops 


3t8  in    the    heel   OF   ITALY 

from  the  Roman  states,  he  attacked  Gallipoli.  Sixty 
Venetian  ships  under  Giacomo  Marcello  dropped 
anchor  in  the  bay  and  demanded  surrender.  Meeting 
with  a  curt  refusal,  the  invaders  landed  and  assailed 
the  walls  with  artillery.  They  then  made  an  assault, 
which  was  repelled,  even  the  women  lending  a  hand, 
heaving  great  stones  over  the  walls  and  pouring 
boiling  oil  on  the  besiegers.  On  Sunday,  May  8th, 
the  Venetians,  fearing  that  the  Gallipolini  would 
receive  the  help  dispatched  from  Lecce  and  other 
garrison  towns,  renewed  the  assault  more  furiously 
than  ever,  but  after  five  hours  their  efforts  were  still 
fruitless.  Then  next  morning,  their  courage  refreshed 
by  the  probability  of  these  reinforcements  arriving, 
and  by  their  continued  lack  of  success,  they  com- 
menced a  third  assault,  still  more  fierce  and  concen- 
trated. In  the  heat  of  the  battle  their  leader,  Giacomo 
Marcello,  was  killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  culverin. 
Sagrentino,  his  second  in  command,  sagaciously  con- 
cealed the  fact  of  his  death,  and  the  fighting  raged  on. 

At  last  the  city  was  taken  by  assault,  and  cruelly 
put  to  the  sword.  According  to  contemporary  writers, 
the  three  days'  fighting  cost  the  Venetians  five  hundred 
men,  including  many  officers,  while  Gallipoli  lost  two 
hundred  inhabitants,  forty  being  women.  Meanwhile 
Ferdinand  was  hurrying  to  the  terrified  district,  but 
did  not  come  to  blows  with  Venice,  peace  being  con- 
cluded some  months  later. 

In  1 501  and  1528,  however,  Gallipoli  repulsed  two 
attacks  by  the  French,  and  in  1544  discomfited  the 
most  redoubtable  foe  of  all,  a  Turkish  squadron  which 
had  been  devastating  the  Lipari  Islands  and  the 
Calabrian  coast.  On  the  islet  of  Sant'  Andrea  one 
of  the   largest   galleys   struck   and   was   wrecked,  so 


THE   COUNTRY   ROUND    LECCE  319 

that  a  number  of  Turks  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Gallipolini. 

On  August  24th,  1809,  Italian  historians  relate, 
Gallipoli  was  attacked  by  a  small  English  squadron. 
In  spite  of  great  difficulties  of  defence,  few  troops,  and 
scanty  artillery,  the  citizens  opposed  the  besiegers 
courageously,  so  that  they  drew  off  after  firing  seven 
hundred  rounds. 

It  is  difficult  to  trace  this  skirmish  among  English 
annals  of  the  time,  for  fighting  round  the  Albanian 
Adriatic,  and  Ionian  coasts  from  Venice  as  far  as 
Naples  was  incessant.  Besides  the  more  important 
engagements  near  Pozzuoli,  off  Trieste,  at  Rotti  near 
Manfredonia,  there  were  numerous  minor  affairs  in 
the  Adriatic  in  1809,  notably  at  Pesaro  and  Barletta 
(September  7th),  between  English  and  French  ships, 
so  that  the  encounter  at  Gallipoli,  while  possible 
enough,  may  have  escaped  the  notice  of  British 
historians,  especially  if  the  result  were  unfavourable.^ 

In  the  revolutionary  movements  of  1 820-1,  1848-70 
the  Gallipolini  played  a  prominent  part,  in  spite  of 
their  remoteness  from  the  centre  of  action.  Bona- 
ventura  Mazzarella  of  Gallipoli  and  Giuseppe  Libertini 
of  Lecce  were,  in  fact,  the  ringleaders  for  some  time 
in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto,  and  only  escaped  death  by 
flying  to  Greece. 

Alezio 

From  Gallipoli  it  is  a  pleasant  walk  through  the 
Borgo  and  over  the  hills  to  Alezio,  four  miles  away. 
Alezio  is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  backward  place, 
but  on  the  road  to  the  railway  station  the  wine  industry 

'  See  James's  "Naval  History"  (Bibliography)  vol.  v. 


320  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

is  erecting  large  buildings.  The  wine  is  excellent  in 
quality,  stronger,  too,  than  even  the  strong  wine 
of  Lecce. 

There  must  be  a  spirit  of  progress  in  Alezio  never- 
theless, for  Singers'  sewing  machines  and  Scott's 
emulsion  flaunt  in  small  shop-windows,  a  good  chemist 
displays  his  wares,  the  music  of  The  Geisha  is 
whistled  in  the  street ;  and  a  storekeeper  whom  I 
visit,  instead  of  asking  why  I  have  come  to  Alezio 
(the  usual  question),  asks  what  firm  his  excellency 
represents ! 

Otranto 

Of  this  beautiful  little  fishing-village  it  cannot  be 
said  that  any  future  lies  before  it,  or  that  it  will 
ever  become  more  than  a  relic  of  the  past.  Up  to 
very  recent  years  there  was  a  semblance  of  connection 
with  the  outer  world,  for  all  our  telegrams  to  the 
East  passed  through  its  little  post-office,  and  thence  by 
cables  to  Valona,  Zante,  or  Corfu ;  so  that  an  English- 
man was  compelled  to  reside  here  in  semi-exile.  But 
now  even  he  has  gone,  and  as  we  walk  down  from 
the  little  railway  station,  with  its  wealth  of  purple 
iris  flowers,  on  the  little  hill  across  the  bay,  hardly 
a  soul  appears  to  disturb  the  all-pervading  silence. 
Otranto  seems  asleep. 

What  a  contrast  with  the  golden  days  of  Rome 
or  of  the  Angevin  !  Classic  Hydruntum  ^  told  a  very 
different  tale,  for  whether  Cretans,  Salentines,  Mes- 
sapians,  or  Greeks  founded  it  matters  little,  nor  even 
whether  it  was  a  dependency  of  Taranto  or  an 
independent  city.     Its  real  importance  began  with  the 

'  Gr.  'Y8povvTios. 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  321 

epoch  when  Rome  threw  her  ambitions  across  the 
Adriatic  and  sought  for  a  point  whence  to  embark 
her  brass-clad  legionaries.  Brindisi,  as  being  nearer 
Rome,  was  chosen  for  the  official  port,  but  neverthe- 
less Otranto  enjoyed  a  measure  of  popularity  with 
those  whose  sailing  powers  were  inferior  to  their 
martial  ardour.  From  191  b.c.  we  constantly  find  it 
mentioned,  and  Cicero  prefers  it  to  the  more  northerly 
route.  Pliny,  on  the  other  hand,  recommends  the 
Brindisi  crossing  as  being  safer,  if  longer.  He  gives 
the  width  of  the  strait,  fifty  Apulian  miles, ^  modern 
geographers  forty-three  English  miles. 

Pliny  then  adds  a  strange  story  that  Pyrrhus, 
coming  from  Epirus,  had  formed  a  design  of  closing 
the  passage  with  a  bridge  of  boats,  and  that  the 
same  idea  had  been  borrowed  by  Varro  in  a  war 
against  pirates. 

Strabo  also  gives  the  width  of  the  strait  at  fifty 
Apulian  miles  (400  stadia)  to  the  island  of  Saso 
near  the  Acroceraunian  promontory.  He  speaks  of 
Otranto  as  a  place  of  little  importance  in  his  day, 
but  under  the  Roman  Empire  it  seems  to  have  risen 
to  the  rank  of  a  considerable  municipal  city  and  to 
have  acquired  importance  pari  passu  with  the  decline 
of  Brindisi.  its  coins  bear  the  figures  of  Neptune 
and  Hercules. 

In  the  fourth  century  it  became  the  usual  place  for 
crossing  not  only  to  Greece  but  even  to  Apollonia 
(now  Pollina,  or  Pollona  in  Illyria),  to  Dyrrachium 
(now  Durazzo),  and  thence  to  Constantinople.  This 
continued  after  the  downfall  of  the  Western  Empire. 

'  All  distances  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto  are  reckoned  by  the  peasants 
in  miles  to-day.  The  ollicial  distance  in  chilometri  is  barely  under- 
stood. 

21 


322  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

During  the  wars  of  the  Goths  with  Behsarius  and 
Narses,  Otranto  assumed  a  strategic  importance  very 
different  from  that  of  Roman  times.  It  was  one  of 
the  last  cities  in  Southern  Italy  which  remained  in  the 
power  of  the  Greek  Emperor,  removed  only  in  the 
eleventh  century.  Cassiodorus  in  Gothic  times  called 
it  "  the  Tyre  of  Italy,"  on  account  of  the  number 
of  murices  which  it  yielded.  At  this  date  the  circuit 
of  its  walls  was  eleven  stadia,  and  a  hundred  towers 
(traces  of  these  still  remain)  strengthened  its  defences. 
Three  times  at  least  an  enemy  was  driven  from  its 
borders — Totila,  the  Lombards,  and  the  Franks.  In 
8ii  the  Venetians  defeated  an  Arab  fleet  in  its  waters, 
and  from  that  date  it  assumed  its  modern  name  of 
Otranto,  which  for  so  long  denoted  also  the  province 
of  Lecce.  Even  to-day  many  maps  and  most  old- 
fashioned  people  cling  to  the  earlier  name  of  "  Terra 
d'  Otranto." 

All  through  the  Middle  Ages  its  flourishing  Levant 
trade  and  its  own  natural  resources  made  it  a  place 
of  great  influence.  There  is  no  need  to  follow  its 
vicissitudes  through  the  Angevin,  Suabian,  and 
Aragonese  dynasties,  for  all  the  events  of  this 
period  are  blotted  out  in  Otranto  memories  by  a 
catastrophe  so  terrible  and  so  haunting  that,  more 
than  four  centuries  afterwards,  its  shadow  still  hangs 
over  the  town. 

The  doom  of  Otranto  was  sealed  irrevocably  when 
the  Turks  spread  their  sails  at  Valona  across  the 
Adriatic,  and  turned  their  prows  towards  the  un- 
suspecting city.  This  calamity  was  due  to  the 
ambitions  of  Ferdinand  I.,  the  Aragonese  King  of 
Naples,  who  was  away  fighting  in  far  Tuscany  with 
never  a  thought  of  an   attack   on   his  kingdom.     As 


I 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  323 

on  so  many  other  occasions,  the  Turks  came  by 
invitation,  this  time  from  Italian  princelets  trembling 
for  their  thrones.  Eighteen  thousand  infantry  and 
seven  hundred  horse  crowded  the  two  hundred  ships 
in  the  Albanian  harbour,  and  at  their  head  Mahomet  II. 
placed  one  Akmet,  a  hardy  and  cruel  warrior.  Brindisi 
was  their  objective,  but  contrary  winds  decided  the 
general  to  change  his  plans  and  make  an  attempt 
on  Otranto,  where  the  garrison  numbered  only  four 
hundred  men  under  Francesco  Zurlo,  a  Neapolitan 
patriot.  On  July  27th,  1480,  the  Mussulmen 
landed  on  the  shore  a  little  to  the  south  of  the 
town,  leaving  their  fleet  to  blockade  it  from  the 
side  of  the  sea.  Before  commencing  hostilities  Akmet 
sent  a  herald  to  the  citizens,  pointing  out  to  them 
the  impossibility  of  opposing  such  a  siege,  and  offering 
to  leave  them  in  peace  if  they  would  submit  quietly. 
Throwing  the  keys  of  the  city  down  a  well,  they 
declared  for  war  to  the  death.  Still  wishing  to  give 
them  a  last  chance,  the  Pasha  sent  a  second  herald, 
but  him  they  stabbed  before  he  ever  delivered  his 
message.  So  began  the  siege,  raging  incessantly 
from  July  27th  to  August  nth  by  night  and  day. 
The  enemy  were  strongly  entrenched  on  the  hill 
where  the  Church  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  stands,  and 
on  Friday  the  12th  opened  a  breach  in  the  wall  near 
the  Cathedral  with  cannon. 

There  was  a  rush  of  infidels  into  the  church,  where 
the  monks  and  women  of  the  place  had  gathered.  The 
Archbishop  disrobing  after  the  Eucharist  was  cut  down 
with  a  scimitar,  so  also  a  plucky  Dominican  who  had 
mounted  the  pulpit  stairs  to  exhort  his  brethren  to 
be  courageous.  Then  on  the  13th  the  Pasha  asked 
for  a  list   of  prisoners,  and   they  were   numbered   as 


324  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

being  eight  hundred,  many  having  escaped  by  heavily 
bribing  their  captors.  Summoned  before  him,  they 
found  an  apostate  priest  at  his  side,  one  John  of 
Calabria,  and  offered  a  free  pardon,  with  restitution  of 
their  property,  if  they  would  embrace  Mohammedanism, 
death  if  they  refused.  A  brave  tailor  named  Primaldo 
spoke  for  them,  saying  they  would  hold  unflinchingly 
to  their  faith,  and  received  the  approbation  of  all. 
They  were  executed  the  following  day,  Sunday  the 
14th,  women  and  boys  under  sixteen  alone  being 
spared.  A  last  chance  of  recanting  was  refused. 
Primaldo's  body  remained  immovable  after  the  head 
had  been  severed  from  it,  and  this  miracle  so  im- 
pressed an  infidel  spectator,  that  he  forthwith  abjured 
his  faith  and  was  condemned  to  instant  death  by  the 
stake. 

Horrified  on  hearing  the  news,  Ferdinand  sent  his 
son  Alfonso  post-haste  to  the  unfortunate  town,  but 
that  rash  commander  threw  away  a  possible  chance 
of  success  (for  he  had  the  assistance  of  a  thousand 
soldiers  from  King  Matthias  of  Hungary),  and  it  was 
not  till  September  in  the  following  year,  aided  by 
the  Genoese  fleet  and  the  Papal  army,  that  he  drove 
the  Turks  out  of  the  district. 

History  relates  that  Mohamet  II.,  appreciative 
always  of  a  brave  enemy,  was  so  annoyed  at  Akmet's 
cruelty  that  he  ordered  him  to  be  executed  on  hearing 
of  it. 

The  memory  of  this  awful  calamity  still  remains 
a  very  real  thing  to  the  people,  just  as  some  shock 
to  a  man's  nerves  may  not  only  turn  his  hair  grey 
but  haunt  him  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Otranto 
never  recovered.  From  that  day  to  this  it  has 
remained  no  more  than  an  obscure  fishing-village.    All 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  325 

through  its  streets  relics  of  the  siege  still  remain : 
huge  stone  cannon-balls  nearly  two  feet  in  diameter 
used  as  ornaments  at  the  entrance  to  quiet  shops. 
Even  at  the  station  a  pair  may  be  found.  One  of 
the  most  popular  picture-postcards  on  sale  is  a  crude 
copy  of  an  old  print  illustrating  details  of  the 
massacre.  And  lastly,  mothers  who  find  gentler 
remedies  unavailing  with  naughty  children,  sing  into 
their  baby  ears  a  little  ditty  which  tells  them  that 
"  the  Turks  will  carry  her  away  and  make  her  a 
slave." 

The  later  history  of  Otranto  thus  loses  in  interest. 
One  event  is  a  problem.  In  1537  "these  bloody 
barbarians  "  (the  Turks),  "  a  disgrace  to  civilisation, 
were  still  encamped  in  Europe,"  and  made  another 
attempt  on  the  ruined  city,  landing  soldiers  and  horses 
from  eighty  galleys  ;  but  were  soon  conquered  and 
forced  to  re-embark  by  the  Governor !  We  can  only 
assume  that  it  was  the  strength  of  the  garrison  in 
Charles  V.'s  new  castle  that  accounted  for  this  victory, 
not  the  maimed  remnant  of  the  citizens. 

In  1799  the  shade  of  war  again  menaced  the  district. 
Otranto  was  hostile  to  the  Parthenopean  Republic 
just  proclaimed  at  Naples,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
places  to  fly  the  royal  flags  at  this  change  of  fortunes. 
In  1804  French  prestige  again  rose,  and  the  King  of 
Naples  was  forced  by  the  treaty  of  Florence  to  allow 
twelve  thousand  men  to  be  statiotied  in  the  Terra 
d'  Otranto  under  Marshal  Soult,  to  watch  the  move- 
ments of  the  English.  Six  years  later  Otranto  became 
a  fief  of  the  French  Empire,  and  Napoleon  gave  it  to 
his  Minister  Fouche,  with  the  title  of  Duke  of  Otranto. 

Three   buildings   in   the   town   are   of  considerable 


326  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

importance  to  historians  and  archaeologists.  The 
Castle  of  Otranto,  thanks  to  Horace  Walpole,  has  a 
purely  fictitious  reputation.  The  actual  castle  occupies 
a  prominent  position  in  any  view  of  the  city,  and 
was  built  by  Alphonso  of  Aragon,  though  Charles  V. 
added  the  towers  at  a  much  later  period.  There  is 
some  fine  heraldry  in  stone  over  the  doorway.  The 
building  is  now  used  as  a  barracks.  Walpole,  in 
his  preface  to  "  The  Castle  of  Otranto,  a  Mediaeval 
Story,"  has  described  that  very  remarkable  work  as 
a  translation  from  the  Italian,  but  before  the  book 
had  long  been  published  a  doubt  gradually  arose  as  to 
its  authenticity ;  and,  as  is  now  commonly  known,  it 
has  no  historical  foundation,  and  was  merely  a 
figment  of  Walpole's  curious  brain.  As  a  literary 
landmark,  the  first  novel  of  the  romantic  type  in 
England,  it  will  always  have  a  considerable  importance. 
The  Church  of  San  Francesco  on  the  "  Hill  of  the 
Martyrs  "  is  interesting  as  commemorating  the  soldiers 
who  fought  against  the  Turks  in  1480-1.  On  each  side 
of  a  reredos  of  no  great  beauty  are  lists  of  their  names, 
while  their  coats-of-arms  painted  on  light  shields  hang 
all  round  the  church.     (See  fig.  38.) 

The  cathedral  of  SS.  Annunziata  was  built  by  the 
celebrated  Roger  of  Apulia  and  Calabria,  son  of 
Robert  Guiscard,  and  was  consecrated  in  1088  by 
Archbishop  William,  in  the  name  of  Pope  Urban  VI. 
Of  the  exterior  the  most  interesting  features  are  the 
fine  Gothic  rose-window  and  the  beautiful  northern 
doorway,  to  which  baroque  details  were  added  in 
1674.  Otherwise  the  bare  wall-surfaces  are  ugly 
enough  and  have  nothing  to  recommend  them. 

The  interior  is  remarkable,  being  of  the  basilican 
type    as   seen   in    San    Clemente   or    San    Pietro    in 


THE    COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  327 

Vincoli  at  Rome  ;  not  at  all  like  Tancred's  church  at 
Lecce,  which  is  practically  coeval.  The  magnificent 
green  marble  and  Oriental  granite  columns  which 
divide  nave  and  aisles  are  taken  from  an  older  temple 
of  Minerva  and  Mercury  which  stood  in  the  neigh- 
bouring village  of  S.  Nicola.  Much  of  the  detail  too 
is  interesting,  being  of  the  Early  Christian  type. 

The  celebrated  crypt  dates  from  the  eighth  to  the 
eleventh  century  according  to  different  authorities, 
and  contains  forty-two  pillars  in  marble,  porphyry, 
and  Oriental  granite,  with  caps  of  diverse  forms. 
They  form  a  most  interesting  series,  and  are  apparently 
of  different  dates.     (See  fig.  39.) 

Lastly,  the  vast  allegorical  mosaic  of  the  floor,  laid 
down  by  a  priest  named  Panteleone  under  Archbishop 
Jonathas  (i  163-6),  is  so  valuable  as  to  have  been 
created  a  national  monument. 

Otranto  is  unhealthy,  because  of  its  proximity  to 
Lake  Alimini,  which  lies  below  sea-level.  At  high 
tide  the  salt  water  enters,  mixes  with  the  fresh,  thus 
producing  miasmas  and  malaria. 

This  concluding  chapter  is  neither  a  guide  to,  nor 
a  history  of,  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  It  is  little  more 
than  an  indication  of  what  there  is  to  be  seen  by 
a  visitor  to  Lecce  who  has  a  few  days  at  his  disposal 
and  no  objection  to  rising  early  in  the  morning  to 
catch  the  south-bound  train.  Nothing  has  been  said 
of  the  deeply  interesting  area  beyond  Gallipoli  and 
Otranto,  one  of  the  least  frequented  districts  of  Italy. 
Even  towns  of  some  size — Nardo,  Galatone,  Manduria 
— have  been  passed  by,  for  an  adequate  treatment  of 
them  requires  a  separate  volume  dealing  with  the 
province  of  Lecce  apart  from  the  city. 


328  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

In  such  a  sketch  personal  reminiscence  is  bound  to 
be  a  factor,  and  just  as  in  Mrs.  Ross's  visit  to  this 
land  thirty  years  ago  her  keenest  interest  seems  to 
have  been  aroused  by  meeting  old  Castromediano,  the 
local  hero  of  Garibaldi's  wars,  so  my  own  pleasantest 
recollection  will  be  of  a  very  similar  figure. 

I  was  standing  in  a  little  shop  in  Otranto's  principal 
street — such  as  it  is — buying  some  postcard  views  and 
trying  to  find  a  pamphlet  history  of  the  Turkish 
massacre.  Some  persistent  ragamuffins  were  pester- 
ing me,  for  here  alone  of  all  places  I  had  visited  I  was 
acclaimed  as  an  Englishman.  As  I  bent  over  the 
counter  I  was  surprised  to  hear  a  voice  addressing  me 
in  passable  English.  A  very  old  man  had  come  in, 
an  old  man  with  some  senile  affliction  of  the  eyes, 
bowed  and  shaky,  clad  in  an  ulster  though  the  day 
was  warm.  Silencing  the  boys,  he  questioned  me  as 
to  my  mission  and  offered  to  find  me  a  suitable  place 
for  lunch.  I  had  never  before  accepted  such  an  offer 
without  finding  that  my  cicerone  had  some  motive, 
indeed  in  Lecce  only  the  previous  day  I  had  repented 
of  availing  myself  of  the  service  of  a  tout  in  sheep's 
clothing,  and  when  this  old  man  next  off'ered  to  show 
me  the  lions  of  the  town  I  felt  sure  he  was  some  con- 
federate of  a  hotel.  Yet  I  went  to  his  chosen  hostelry, 
and  marvelled  at  his  solicitude  that  my  meal  should 
be  of  the  best,  as  befitted  a  traveller  from  afar. 

Alas  for  a  pessimistic  view  of  the  world !  Shortly 
after  noon,  as  I  sat  in  a  quaint  bed-sitting-room  musing 
over  my  lonely  omelette,  the  strange  figure  of  my 
guide  returned.  Sitting  down  on  a  sofa  opposite,  and 
declining  my  offer  of  hospitality,  he  lit  a  cigar  and 
began  to  talk.  1  heard  how  the  English  telegraphist 
who  had  just  quitted  Otranto  had  been  a  friend  of  his, 


1 


39-   THE  CRYPT,  OTRANTO  CATHEDRAL 


THE   COUNTRY    ROUND    LECCE  329 

how  another  friend  was  an  Oxford  professor,  and  how 
he  read  Milton,  Goldsmith,  and  Pope  in  his  evening 
leisure. 

Then,  thanks  to  a  turn  in  the  conversation,  his  story 
came  out,  and  I  found  that  this  bent  old  man  had 
lived  through  the  great  days  of  Italy.  He  was  over 
eighty  years  of  age,  and  as  a  youth  had  been  in  a 
good  social  position  in  the  province.  His  brother 
was  a  professor  of  languages  in  the  college  at  Lecce. 
He  had  founded  the  Revolutionary  "  Circolo "  with 
Castromediano  and  the  rest  in  1848,  had  borne  their 
lot,  and  suffered  long  imprisonment  from  1849  to  1852. 
The  old  Duke  he  knew  well,  and  spoke  of  Carlo  Poerio 
as  a  "  buon  gentiluomo."  Yet  all  had  not  prospered 
for  him  with  the  liberation  of  Italy.  Through  political 
troubles  he  lost  all  his  estates,  and  now  for  some 
years  acted  as  the  village  schoolmaster. 

Miserably  scanty  as  is  his  salary  in  this  office,  the 
pension  which  is  his  due  is  smaller  still  and  with  it 
he  cannot  satisfy  his  simple  wants.  So  he  slaves  on, 
solaced  by  the  respect  borne  him  by  every  man  and 
every  child  in  the  place,  who  doff  their  hats  as  he 
passes  by,  just  as  the  Leccese  did  for  their  old  patriot. 

Sometimes  in  English,  sometimes  in  Italian,  he  told 
me  his  story,  and  afterwards  walked  to  the  station  to 
see  me  off,  for  he  is  a  lover  of  England  and  all  her 
sons,  remembering  their  sympathy  with  Italy  in  the 
hour  of  her  need. 

With  the  lingering  memory  of  this  fine  old  gentle- 
man's courtesy — so  misinterpreted  by  me  at  first — and 
with  the  sight  of  him  waving  his  hat  to  me  on  the 
platform,  I  bade  Otranto  good-bye. 

His  story  was  for  me  a  link  between  the  history  set 
forth  in  this  volume  and  the  life  of  to-day,  the  one 


330  IN    THE    HEEL    OF    ITALY 

link  necessary  to  connect  my  visits  to  Lecce  with  the 
slow  collecting  of  historical  scraps  to  form  a  narrative, 
the  human  interest  which  gives  life  to  the  driest 
bones. 

Let  him  who  travels  thus  far  look  forward  to  no 
hostile  crowd  of  Philistines.  Wherever  he  goes  he 
will  find  among  all  this  simple  folk  courtesy  repaid 
by  courtesy,  and  will  have  to  acknowledge  many 
debts  of  kindness. 

And  when  he  needs  must  say  farewell — whether 
his  hour  of  departure  comes  when  the  bright  dawn  is 
dispersing  the  mists  above  palms  and  gardens,  or  as 
sunset  is  illuminating  the  shining  cathedral  cupola — he 
will  feel,  if  he  be  a  lover  of  cities  in  their  many  moods, 
that  he  has  an  abiding  affection  for  the  beautiful  city 
of  Lecce. 


1 


APPENDIX 

ARCHITECTURAL   AND    HISTORICAL    NOTES   ON 
LECCE   BUILDINGS 


A   CHRONOLOGY  OF  THE   PRINCIPAL   LECCE 
BAROQUE    BUILDINGS 


S.  Sebastiano,  1520. 
Castle,  most  of,  1539. 
S.  Marco,  1543. 
Porta  di  Napoli,  1548. 
S.  Elisabetta. 
S.  Croce,  1549-1697. 

S.  Teresa,  1569  (?). 

Gesu,  1575. 

S.  Nicolo  de'  Greci,  1575. 

S.  Antonio,  1584. 

Sedile,  1592. 

S.  Irene,  1591-1639. 

S.  Maria  delle  Grazie,  1606. 

Church  of  the  Scalze,  1630. 

S.  Maria  degli  Angeli,  1657.^ 
S.  Angelo,  1663. 
Duomo  nave,  1658-70. 

,,      campanile,  1661-82. 


S.  Croce  and  Prefettura,  1697. 
Church      of      Angiolilli      and 

Municipio. 
Church   of  Alcantarine,    1683- 

1708. 
Column  erected  in  Piazza,  1684. 
S.  Chiara,  1687. 
Seminario,  1694-1709. 
Rosario,  1691-1728. 
Church     of     the     Bonfratelli, 

1699. 
Church     of    the    Sacramento, 

1703- 
Church  of  the  Carmine,  17 11. 
S.  Matteo,  1700. 
Porta  di  Rusce,  1703. 
S.    Nicolo    e    Cataldo    facade, 

1710. 
S.  Francesco  di  Assisi  (ceiling), 

1735- 


*  S.  Francesco  di  Paola. 
331 


332  APPENDIX 


S.  Anna  remodelled,  1764. 
Entrance  to  Piazza  del  Duomo, 

1761. 
Duomo  choir,  1752-83. 

,,       baptistery,  1760. 
Porta  San  Biagio,  1774. 


S.  Croce  (cortile  of  Prefettura), 

1814-27. 
Liceo  Palmieri,  1845  (^)' 
S.  Maria  della  Porta,  1855-58. 
Liceo  Palmieri,  Other  two  sides, 

1874. 


The  Cathedral  (S.  Oronzd) 
History  : 

First  church  constructed  by  Bishop  Formosus,  1144,  with  a 
bell-tower;  both  rebuilt  1230  by  Bishop  Roberto  Volturio.  This 
latter  church  was,  says  Ughelli  "  a  thing  splendid  and  worthy  of 
a  visit."  The  tower  threatened  to  fall  in  1574,  so  was  partly 
demolished.  In  the  following  century,  Duomo  being  found  too 
narrow,  it  was  proposed  to  widen  main  nave,  but  ultimately  com- 
plete rebuilding  decided  on.  Demolition  of  old  church  com- 
menced towards  end  of  1658,  new  foundations  December  1658. 
Work  entrusted  to  Giuseppe  Zimbalo  and  much  of  money  raised 
by  subscriptions  and  gifts.  During  this  rebuilding  Pappacoda 
lost  the  site  where  was  buried  the  head  of  Walter,  fifth  Count  of 
Brienne  and  Lecce. 

The  choir  was  built  by  Bishop  Alfonso  Sozi-Carafa  (1752-83). 
Baptistery  by  Giovanni  Pinto  (1760),  wood  pulpit  and  much  of 
marble  balustrading  1763.  Duomo  reconsecrated  1767.  In 
following  century  (1813)  much  marble  work  imported  here  from 
suppressed  convents  of  Teresiani,  Antoniani,  and  Celestini. 

Campanile  as  we  now  see  it  commenced  1661,  finished 
August  22nd,  1682,  under  direction  of  Zimbalo.  Height,  226  feet, 
and  stands  166  feet  above  sea.  Said  to  be  seventeenth  among 
European  campanili.  The  bells  are  historic  :  were  taken  by  Alfonso 
of  Aragon  to  make  cannon-balls  ;  restored  by  Ferdinand.  A  new 
one  made  1484,  recast  in  Gallipoli  1672.  Another  made  in  Lecce 
1695,  recast  1701.  Two  large  bells  made  Venice  1725,  larger 
burst  and  was  recast  1830.  The  Treasury  is  richly  furnished. 
Robbed  by  Ferdinand  IV.  in  1768,  but  most  of  stolen  property 
restored. 

Architecture  : 

For  illustrations  see  figs.  21  and  22. 


APPENDIX  333 

Monuments  : 

1.  On  right  entering  by  main  door :  Alphonsus  Sozi-Carafa, 

Bishop  of  Lecce. 

2.  Altar  of  Carlo  Borromeo  :  Carlo  Borromeo. 

3.  ,,  S.  Giusto  :  St.  Justus. 

4.  „  S.  Oronzo  :  Pope  Innocent  XII.,  Bishop  of  Lecce. 

5.  „  S.  Oronzo :  St.  Orontius. 

6.  ,,  S.  Oronzo  :  Aloysius  Pappacoda,  Bishop  of  Lecce. 

7.  Chapel  of  Sacrament. 

8.  In  choir,  under  Tiso's  "  Assumption." 

9.  Altar  of  St.  Philip  Neri. 

10.  „  „  ,,    :  Joanni  Baptistae  Tafurio,  i6go. 

11.  „  „  ,,    :  Realinus  Tafuri.      A   servant    of 
the  Pope,  1804. 

12.  Altar  of  St.  Philip  Neri  :  Aloysius  Pappacoda,  1670. 

13.  Over   sacristy    door:    Scipione    Sersale.       A    Neapolitan 

noble,  1 75 1. 

14.  Over    Soccorpo    door :     Nicolai    Caputo.      Marchese    di 

Cerveti,  1862. 

15.  Altar  of  S.  Antonio  :  Joanni  Jacobus  Leccisus,  1661. 

16.  „  „        :    Scipioni    Spinae,    Bishop   of   Lecce, 
Knight  of  Naples  ;  d.   1639,  97  years  of  age. 

17.  Altar  of  S.  Fortunato  :  St.  Fortunatus,  1674. 

18.  On  left  entering,  Calvary. 

19.  Opposite  last,  on  right:   Michaeli  Pignatelli,  1734. 

20.  Altar  of  St.  John  Baptist. 

Paintings  : 

1.  "  S.  Oronzo  "  (Coppola). 

2.  "  S.  Carlo  Borromeo  "  (Delia  Flora,  a  Leccese). 

3.  "  The  Assumption  "  (Tiso),  in  choir.     Date  about  1757-8. 

4.  "Noah's  sacrifice  after  Flood"  (Tiso),  in  choir.     Date  about 

1757-8- 

5.  "The  Ark" 

6.  The  nine  pictures  on  choir  ceiling  are  apparently  the  work 

of   Gianserio  Strafella  of   Copertino,  whose  cipher  we 
see  at  foot  of  the  largest. 

7.  "  St.  Justus." 


334  APPENDIX 

8.  "  St.  Fortunatus." 

9.  "  Addolorata  "  (probably  by  Palma). 
10.  "  Last  Supper  "  (Venetian  School). 

OTHER  CHURCHES 

2.  Church  of  the  Alcantarine  {S.M.  della  Provvidenza) 
Piazza  Giorgio  Baglivi  No.  18 
History  : 

Founded  by  Leccese  priest,  Francesco  Riccio.  Church  com- 
menced September  170S,  adjoining  monastery  1683.  First  nuns 
entered  September  1697,  led  by  Sisters  Anna  Maria  Paladini, 
and  Irene  Maremonti.  Suppressed  1809,  became  barracks  18 13, 
and  largely  destroyed  to  widen  piazza  1835. 

Architecture : 

Front  rococo  and  bad,  lower  part  of  pilasters  only  being  fluted. 
Sculpture  also  poor.  Interior  composite  pilasters,  spoilt  by  blue 
painted  walls.  Windows  all  high  up  in  clerestory ;  hideous  blue 
and  yellow  glass. 

3.  S.  Angelo 

No.  I.     Via  Conte  Vittorio  de' Prioli 
History  : 

Formerly  convent  church  of  Augustinian  friars.  Founded  out- 
side city  walls  1061,  included  in  new  walls  and  reconstructed 
1300.  Rebuilt  as  we  now  see  it  1663.  Convent  abolished 
beginning  of  nineteenth  century.  Church  and  part  of  convent 
conceded  to  the  Arciconfraternita  di  M.  SS.  Addolorata  by  decree 
of  January  loth,  183 1.  An  orphanage  (known  first  by  name 
of  S.  Ferdinando,  then  of  Garibaldi)  lodged  in  old  convent. 

Architecture  : 

Very  rococo  fagade,  delicate  but  overdone.  Richly  carved 
doorway  with  double  eagle  and  im|)t'rial  crown.  Fagade  un- 
finished, breaking  off  abruptly  up  second  tier  of  columns.  Door 
has  pilasters,  curved  head,  and  two  niches  on  each  side.  Fa§ade 
as  a  whole  of  no  great  merit,  but  interesting  and  uncommon. 


APPENDIX  335 

Paintings  : 

I.  "  Assumption  "  (Giordano),  in  Sacristy. 

4.  Church  of  the  Angiolilli 

Via  Tribunali 
History  : 

A  monastery  of  the  Paolotti  or  Angiolilli.  A  letter  from 
S.  Francesco  di  Paola  to  these  monks  is  still  preserved  in  Lecce. 
After  various  vagaries  the  buildings  became  a  girls'  school  under 
the  Suore  Marcelline,  who  for  some  time  carried  on  good 
educational  work  there.  Later  became  the  "  Palazzo  di  Citt^  " 
or  "  Municipio"     (Town  hall  or  Municipal  buildings). 

Architecture  : 

Baroque  facade  of  no  particular  interest. 

For  notes  on  the  Municipio  see  p.  355  and  fig.  26. 

5.  S.  Anna 

Via  Porta  Rusce 

History  : 

An  aristocratic  convent  built  by  Teresa  Paladini  in  1679,  as 
executrix  of  her  husband's  will,  on  the  site  of  his  house,  and 
opened  1686.     Altered  to  present  form  1764. 

6.  S.  Antonio 

Via  Ludovico  Maremonti 
History  : 

Congiegazione  di  S.  Giuseppe  founded  here  end  of  1584,  to 
whom  its  custody  was  given  after  expulsion  of  friars  1812. 

Architecture  : 

Fagade  has  a  baroque  door  in  centre,  niche  with  saint  either 
side,  otherwise  devoid  of  ornament.  Side  door  has  curious 
triangular  pilasters.     One  of  the  best  fa9ades  in  Lecce. 

Interior  plain  and  of  fairly  good  design ;  fluted  Corinthian 
pilasters,  lit  from  clerestory,  barrel-vaulted,  very  little  colour. 


336  APPENDIX 

Paintings  : 

1.  "  Nativity."     Good.     In  Chapel  of  S.  Anna. 

2.  "  Presentation  in  Temple." 

3.  Various  landscapes  and  portraits  in  sacristy. 

7.  S.  Crock  and  the  Prefettura 

In  1353  Walter  of  Brienne,  Count  of  Lecce,  Duke  of  Athens, 
and  Lord  of  Florence,  founded  a  monastery  of  the  Celestini  in 
Lecce,  under  name  of  "  S.  Maria  dell'  Annunziata  e  di  S.  Leonardo." 
In  1539  Charles  V.,  by  rebuilding  walls  and  enlarging  castle, 
demolished  Brienne's  structure.  In  1549  rebuilding  of  church 
and  monastery  commenced  on  present  site.  The  Leccese  ar- 
chitects and  sculptors  Gabriele  Riccardo,  Maestro  Giuseppe 
Zimbalo,  and  Cesare  Penna  worked  at  it.  Building  lasted  many 
years.  Consecration  of  church  1582.  In  1606  abbot  and  monks 
held  a  festival  of  rejoicing  to  celebrate  finish  of  entrance  doorway 
of  church,  "singing  Maccabees  I.  chap.  iv.  verses  57-8."  Cloisters 
still  unfinished  1634.  Facade  reached  circular  window  1646. 
The  monks  retained  this  church  and  monastery  358  years — i.e. 
till  1807,  in  which  year,  by  law  of  February  13th,  their  Order  was 
suppressed. 

Queen  Mary  of  Enghien  was  buried  in  the  old  church  of 
S.  Croce,  her  tomb  being  placed  in  a  chapel  of  the  richest 
marbles.  The  statue  was  crowned  and  seated  on  her  royal 
throne,  surrounded  by  statues  of  Prudence,  Justice,  Bravery, 
Temperance,  Faith,  Hope,  and  Charity.  The  building  of  the 
new  church  finished,  this  statue  was  placed  over  door  leading 
from  church  to  cloisters.  Her  remains  were  kept  in  the  sacristy. 
By  a  decree  of  November  181 1  the  monastery  was  granted  to  the 
city  for  an  Intendant's  office.  Plans  for  necessary  alterations 
approved  by  Queen  Caroline,  March  18 14.  The  design  for  the 
fagade  now  looking  on  to  the  gardens  was  approved  in  181 7. 
In  1 82 1  the  Chapel  of  the  Crucifixion  was  demolished,  and  the 
site  levelled  to  form  the  present  gardens  and  the  Viale  Garibaldi, 
Five  years  later  the  adjoining  Porta  San  Martino,  an  old  gateway 
in  the  wall,  was  demolished  because  it  disfigured  this  palace. 

The  local  records  were  housed  here  in  1833,  the  telegraph 
offices    1858,    the    provincial   museum   and   other   offices    later. 


P336] 


40.       A    DOORWAY    IN    THE   CLOISIKK,    S.    CROCK,    LECCE 

M.  B.  S.  vieiis.  ft  del. 

(15y  permission  of  The  Architectural  Review) 


APPENDIX  337 

(The   Prefettura  corresponds   to    the   English    County   Council 
offices.) 

From  1814  to  1828  the  church  remained  abandoned  till  it  fell 
into  the  hands  of  one  Mastro  Francesco  Rizzo,  a  favourite 
employee  of  the  Intendant  Ferdinando  Cito,  who  used  it  as  a 
stable.  Before  and  after  this  it  was  plundered  by  many.  Two 
altars  were  removed  from  their  places  to  S.  Matteo  in  181 2, 
where  they  may  now  be  seen  at  the  sides  of  the  main  altar. 
A  rescript  of  1828  ordered  restoration  of  S.  Croce,  which  threat- 
ened to  fall  into  ruins,  and  would  have  then  brought  down  with 
it  in  its  fall  the  Palace  of  the  Intendant  (now  the  Prefettura).  In 
1833  some  Lecce  citizens  obtained  S.  Croce  from  the  Governor 
for  the  "  Arciconfraternita  della  SS.  Trinita,"  and  permission  to 
remodel  interior.  Doing  this,  they  greatly  spoiled  it,  adding 
to  the  vandalism  of  the  civil  architects.  They  closed  side  door 
leading  into  cloisters  (see  fig.  40),  placing  against  it  an  altar 
to  the  Holy  Trinity,  titular  saint  of  the  church  and  the  con- 
gregation to  which  it  belonged.  Over  interior  arch  of  this  door 
was  seated  the  effigy  of  Queen  Mary  above-mentioned.  This, 
torn  down,  lay  for  many  years  in  a  small  kitchen-garden  behind 
choir.  Only  a  few  fragments  now  left.  In  1833,  to  make  more 
space  for  the  Archivio  Provinciale,  the  ante-sacristy  and  the 
sacristy  were  spoiled;  the  former  being  undoubtedly  a  work  of 
Gabriele  Riccardo. 

At  the  present  day  (1909)  yet  another  restoration  is  in  progress 
under  the  joint  supervision  of  two  architects — one  from  Lecce, 
one  from  Rome 

Architecture : 

See  figs.  14,  20,  31,  40,  41. 

M.  Bourget's  criticism  of  the  fagade  of  S.  Croce  (pp.  248-9), 
and  my  own  remarks  upon  it  (pp.  250-1),  may  be  compared  with 
these  illustrations. 

Something  has  also  been  said  as  to  the  plan  ;  but  the  interior 
treatment  is  difficult  to  describe — a  cold  combination  of  white 
and  grey,  with  remarkable  detail. 

Tombs  : 

I.  In    choir :    Mauro    Leopardi   of    Mesagne,   abbot    of    the 
Celestini. 

22 


338  APPENDIX 

2.  In  Chapel  of  the  Adorni :  their  tomb.    Their  palace  adjoins 
this  church. 


Paintings : 

1.  "S.  Michele." 

2.  "Nativity,"  1730. 

3.  "S.  Pier  Celestino"  on  left  of  entrance.     Good  (?)  fifteenth 

century  picture. 

4.  "Madonna." 

5.  "S.  Nicola"  (Battista  Lama),  1720.     Good  picture. 

6.  "  Descent  from  the  Cross." 

7.  "S.    Oronzo   protecting    Lecce   in   an   earthquake,    1743." 

Leccese  School ;  poor. 


8.    S.  Chiara 

No.  5  Via  Ascanio  Grandi 
History  : 

Like  adjoining  convent  (Intendenza  di  Finanza  since  1866), 
formerly  of  the  Chiariste,  founded  1410,  and  placed  under  rule 
of  the  Lecce  Bishop  and  citizen,  Tommaso  Ammirato,  who  is 
buried  here.  Demolished  and  rebuilt  as  at  present  1687.  Site 
of  Ammirato's  tomb  lost  in  rebuilding.  Nuns  entered  new  build- 
ing 1 69 1.  Monastery  closed  1866,  nuns  going  to  S.  Giovanni 
Evangelista.  Church  now  used  for  Congregazione  de  Preti 
Missionarii  di  Lecce, 


Architecture : 

Interior.  Shallow  Corinthian  pilasters,  plan  octagonal,  with  a 
choir  and  high  altar  to  west,  as  in  so  many  Lecce  churches. 
Windows  in  clerestory  :  ceiling  flat,  with  wood  boards. 

Fagade.  Unfortunately  incomplete,  being,  though  rococo,  one 
of  the  best  in  Lecce.  Enormous  entrance  door,  approached  by 
fine  flight  of  steps,  with  treatment  of  Corinthian  order  and  niches 
on  either  side.     Stage  above  also  Corinthian,  but  narrower. 

Bell-tower  on  north  of  usual  semi -Lombard  type. 


41.       A    CAPITAL    IN    THE    CLOISTER,    S.    CROCE,    LECCE 
;(l!y  permission  of  TItc  Architectitral  Revie-M.     From  a  sepia  drawing  by  M.  S.   I'.) 


P-   338] 


II 


APPENDIX  339 

9.   S.  Eligio 

Via  Ludovico  Maramonte 
History : 

Here  were  deposited  standards  won  by  Ludovico  Maramonte 
from  the  Bretons  (p.  144),  but,  decaying  with  time,  were  painted 
on  church  walls  and  then  whitewashed  by  vandals. 

Architecture  : 

Tiny  chapel  of  simple  box  form.  Nothing  interesting  save  a 
few  mediocre  pictures.  Rococo  in  style,  plastered,  no  decoration 
to  speak  of. 

Fagade  small,  mean,  and  decayed  with  rococo  porch. 

Small  bell-turret. 

10.    S.  Elisabetta 

No.  36  Via  Porta  di  Rusce 
History  : 

Built  by  Filippo  de  Matthei,  Baron  of  S.  Maria  di  Nove 
(Novoli),  and  Count  of  Palmerici.  Dedicated  to  S.  Andrea. 
Supplied  with  all  necessary  furniture  by  him,  also  dwellings  for 
an  abbot  and  five  chaplains,  who  continuously  maintained  service 
there.  Then  known  as  Church  of  the  Assumption  or  Chiesa 
Nuova.  In  modern  days  known  as  S.  Elisabetta  or  S.  Filomena 
indiscriminately. 

Architecture  : 

Has  already  been  instanced  in  Chapter  VIII.  as  one  of  the 
earliest  Renaissance  buildings  in  Lecce. 

Charming  little  facade  with  rose-window  and  porch  in  centre. 

Interesting  heraldry  and  good  carving. 

II.   S.  Francesco  di  Assisi 

The  first  visit  of  S.  Francis  to  Lecce  in  12 19  is  described  on 
pp.  1 13-4.  At  his  death  in  1273  a  church  and  convent  was 
commenced  to  celebrate  his  memory,  and  was  finished  in  1322. 

Principal  cloister  of  convent  built  1360  by  Fra  Paolo  Castro- 
mediano.  Bishop  of  Polignano.  The  present  church  seems  to 
date  from  the  end  of  the  mature  baroque  period,  and  the  ceiling 


340  APPENDIX 

was  painted  by  a  Tarentine  in  1735.  In  "  Lecce  Sacra  "  it  is 
said  there  are  360  graves  in  this  church,  mostly  belonging  to 
upper  classes  of  Lecce.     This  refers  to  the  earlier  church. 

At  some  time  unknown  both  church  and  convent  came  into 
the  hands  of  the  Jesuits,  who  erected  the  large  portico  of  the 
present  Liceo  for  their  new  schools.  For  some  time  an  obelisk 
stood  outside,  surmounted  by  a  statue  of  the  Immaculate  Virgin, 
These  buildings  were  designed  by  one  Jazzeolla,  and  in  1845  the 
statue  was  placed  on  the  pediment  and  the  obelisk  demolished. 
In  1874,  or  thereabouts,  the  remaining  two  sides  of  the  courtyard 
were  built  in  the  same  style,  and  the  Church  of  S.  Francis  partly 
demolished. 

Architecture : 

For  these  reasons  architecture  of  church  is  now  of  little  im- 
portance. 

Beyond  sacristry  is  an  interesting  little  Chapel  of  S.  Francis. 
Here  he  is  said  to  have  lived,  and  in  an  adjacent  little  garden  to 
have  planted  an  orange-tree.  This  chapel  is  decorated  with 
frescoes  of  his  life,  some  now  hidden  by  new  relieving  arches,  and 
were  restored  by  the  painter  Giovanni  Grassi  in  1851. 

The  fagade  has  no  feature  of  interest. 

Tombs,  etc.  : 

1.  Jesuit  Father  Paradiso.     Opposite  Annunziata  Chapel. 

2.  „  ,,       Bernardino  Realino       ,,  „ 

3.  The  great  preacher,  Roberto  Caracciolo,  with  effigy.    Behind 

these  last. 

4.  Good  crucifix  in  stone.     On  Altar  of  Crucifixion  by  Ves- 

pasiano  Genuino  of  Gallipoli. 

Paintings  : 

The  ceiling  was  painted  by  Thomas  de  Leo  a  Tarento  in  1735 
in  three  compartments. 

1.  "  S.  Anthony  of  Padua  visited  by  the  Infant  Christ." 

2.  "  The  Stigmata." 

3.  "  The  Immacolata." 

4.  "S.  Anna  and  the  Madonna"  (Tiso).    S.  Anna's  head  e?: 

cellent.     Chapel  of  S.  Vito. 


( 

1 


APPENDIX  341 

5.  "  S.  Giuseppe  di  Copertino."   Probably  a  portrait.    Chapel 

of  S.  Vito. 

6.  "  Assumption."     Damaged  by  damp.     Uninteresting,  but 

said  to  be  valuable. 

7.  "  Pietro  Paolo  Persone  (1683)  liberato   da  una   caduta." 

Large    picture    in    Sacristry.     Noteworthy    for    Lecce 
costume  of  period. 

8.  "S.  Francis  gives  his  hand  to  the  Devil."     In  chapel  of 

S.  Francis. 

9.  "  S.    Francis   supports   a   shaking    vault."     In    chapel    of 

S.  Francis. 

10.  "  S.  Francis  embraces  the  Crucifix."    In  chapel  of  S.  Francis. 

11.  "S.  Francis  turns  water  into  wine."  „ 

12.  "  S.  Francis  preaches  to  the  fishes."  „ 

13.  "S.  Francis  is  taken  to  heaven   in  a  flying  chariot,"  and 

some  others.     In  chapel  of  S.  Francis. 

14.  Various  pictures  by  Coppola  da  Gallipoli,  of  no  great  merit. 

12.    Church  of  the  Gesu  {Benedettinz  or  Buon  Consiglio) 

Via  dei  Tribunal! 
History : 

The  Jesuits,  under  Ven.  P.  Bernardino  Realino,  came  to 
Lecce  1574,  expelled  Greeks  from  their  church,  and  following 
year  commenced  present  church,  adjoining  monastery  (now 
Tribunali)  two  years  later.  From  1767,  when  they  were  ex- 
pelled from  Lecce,  till  1784,  the  buildings  served  various  edu- 
cational purposes.  In  1784  the  Abbot  of  the  Benedettini  Neri 
of  Montescaglioso  bought  them  for  ^^"2,800,  and  spent  ^3,200 
on  restorations  and  additions.  Said  monks  arrived  February 
1785,  and  lived  there  till  suppression  in  1807.  By  various 
decrees,  1807-16,  buildings  given  to  city  for  law-courts.  In 
1868  new  fagade  was  completed,  now  bringing  place  more  into 
character  with  its  new  requirements.  Shops  on  ground  floor.  In 
one  of  these  rooms  Ferdinand  II.  was  entertained  first  time  he 
came  to  Lecce. 

Architecture  : 
The  fagade,  as  has  been  remarked  in  Chapter  VIII.,  is  one  of 


342  APPENDIX 

the  earliest  and  least  florid  of  the  baroque  period,  and  has  much 
in  common  with  contemporary  work  in  Rome.     (See  fig.  19.) 

The  interior  (nave)  has  a  magnificent  ceiling,  painted  (see 
below)  and  gilt.  The  crossing  is  domed,  the  transepts  barrel- 
vaulted.  The  pilasters  have  shallow  panels  with  strapwork  at 
ends  and  curious  caps.  The  beautiful  carved  work  (walnut)  in 
the  choir  was  added  by  the  Benedettini. 

Paintings  : 

1.  "  Circumcision  of  the  Child  Jesus."    High  altar  (by  Oronzo 

Letizia  of  Alessano,  who  lived  in  Lecce). 

2.  "  Four  Doctors  of  the   Church "    (by    Oronzo  Letizia  of 

Alessano,  who  lived  in  Lecce). 

3.  "Virgin  uncrowned  with  many  saints  "  (?  Antonio  Verrio). 

4.  "  Ven.  Bernardino  Realino,"  who  was  buried  here  (?  Antonio 

Verrio). 

5.  Another  picture  apparently  by  same  artist. 

6.  "  S.  Jerome  "  (Impercato).     Altar  of  St.  Jerome. 

7.  "Annunciation." 

8.  "Nativity." 

9.  "  Adoration  of  Magi"  (Luca  Giordano). 

10.  "  Madonna  and  S.  Benedict." 

11.  "John  the  Baptist." 

12.  "  Pier  Celestino." 

13.  "The  Prodigal  Son"  (Antonio  Verrio).    Right  of  entrance 

door. 

14.  "  Joseph    before    Pharaoh "    (Antonio    Verrio).     Left   of 

entrance  door. 

15.  "  The  Triumphs  of  the  Jesuits."    Eight  large  pictures  on 

the  ceiling. 
This  church  contains  some  of  the  best  pictures  in  Lecce,  a 
all  are  well  placed  in  relation  to  their  architectural  surrounding 


13.    S.  Irene  {Church  of  the  Teatini) 

Corso  Vittorio  Emanuele 
History  : 

Built  as  house  for  the  Teatini,  with  church  of  S.  Irene  attache 
1591-1639.      Inscription    on  facade   is    incomplete.      Statue 
S.  Irene  over  principal  door  carved  by  Mauro  Manieri,  an  artist 


I 


APPENDIX  343 

of  whose  work  no  other  example  remains.  Suppressed  as  a 
monastic  order  1807.  Commune  having  entered  into  full 
possession  of  it,  gave  it  to  two  Lecce  Teatini,  Luigo  and  Francesco 
Saverio  Persone.  They  were  driven  out  again  in  1808,  but 
reinstated  by  a  royal  rescript  of  October  18 18.  Finally,  after  last 
suppression  of  monasteries  city  took  over  ex-convent  from  the 
Governor.  Used  for  some  time  by  Sisters  of  Mercy,  who  had  a 
dispensary  there  and  a  school  for  little  girls.  They  were  ex- 
pelled because  they  did  not  conform  to  rules  of  pharmacy. 
Then  housed  principal  state  girls'  schools. 

Architecture : 

The  fagade  of  S.  Irene  is  one  of  the  least  baroque  and  most 
admirable  in  Lecce,  of  excellent  proportion  and  considerable 
interest.  Nor  is  it  tacked  on  to  the  church  as  are  so  many  of 
the  later  ones.  Interior  lofty,  light,  and  severe  generally  ',  but 
tombs,  altars,  candelabra,  etc.,  are  richly  sculptured ;  tombs  and 
altars  being  too  baroque.  Corinthian  pilasters  as  usual,  with 
arches  between,  clerestory  windows  over,  and  flat  ceiling.  Soffits 
of  arches  richly  carved.  Twin  organs.  Pictures  here  well 
arranged  in  relation  to  architecture.     (See  fig.  18.) 

Paintings : 

1.  "  Landing  from  the  Ark"  (Tiso). 

2.  "S.  Vincenzo  di  Paola  "  (Tiso). 

3.  "S.  Gaetano  dying  "  (by  a  lay  brother  of  Parma). 

4.  "  S.  Stephen." 

5.  "Three  scenes  from  life  of  S.  Carlo  Borromeo  "  (Uberti). 

6.  "  S.  Catherine  "  (Uberti). 

7.  "S.  Rosa"  (Uberti). 

8.  "  Immaculata  "  (Pasquale  Grassi,  a  Leccese). 

9.  "  S.  Irene  "  (Giuseppo  Verrio). 

In  corridor  on  upper  floor  of  house 
10.  "  Jacob  and  Rachel  "  (Tiso). 

14.  S.  Marco 

Piazza  S.  Oronzo 
History  : 

Built   in    1543    by  Venetian   colony  in    Lecce.      For   further 

information  see  pp.  152-3.     Restored  in  February  1899  at  a  total 


344  APPENDIX 

cost  of  ;^3o  !     For  particulars  of  restoration  see  Aveva's  "  Monu- 
menti  della  Provincia  di  Bari,"  etc. 


Architecture  : 

In  the  same  style  as  first  group  of  Lecce  baroque  buildings. 
Lion  of  S.  Mark  boldly  sculptured  in  tympanum  of  doorway. 
Other  carving  rich  but  delicate.  Door  panelled.  Beautiful  little 
rose-window  above  door     (See  fig.  17.) 


15.  S.  Matteo 

Via  dei  Perroni  27 
History  : 

Formerly  a  chapel  dedicated  to  S.  Matteo  attached  to  the 
houses  of  Audisia  de  Pactis,  who,  widowed,  converted  it  into 
a  monastery  of  Franciscans  of  the  Third  Order.  Was  approved 
by  Sixtus  IV.  in  1474,  but  existed  for  a  long  time  without  a 
monastery,  which  certainly  was  placed  there  by  1628.  This 
chapel,  widened  and  turned  into  a  large  church,  as  we  now 
see  it,  from  designs  of  architect  Achille  Carducci  in  1700.  In 
it  may  be  seen  statues  of  twelve  apostles  in  Lecce  stone,  carved 
in  1692,  as  we  see  on  pedestal  supporting  S.  Philip  : 


"  Hac  duodena  virum  simulacra  in  sede  refulgent,  cujus  opus 
Phidiae  vivit  hie  in  Placido — Placidus  Boffelli,  inventor  et 
sculptor,   1692." 


On  the  very  baroque  fagade  of  church  is  an  unfinished  spiral 
column,  about  which  the  wildest  tales  are  told.  Aloysius 
Pappacoda  actively  concerned  in  this  building.  Monastery 
suppressed  1807,  and  by  decrees  of  1813  and  1816  granted  to 
city  as  a  record  office,  a  few  rooms  being  left  for  the  Parroco. 
In  181 2  the  Parrocchia  della  Luce  fell,  and  was  transferred  to 
this  church,  of  which  it  still  forms  a  part.  Inscription  recording 
this  was  broken  up  and  lost.  In  this  church  are  the  two  altars 
from  S.  Croce. 


APPENDIX  345 

Pictures  : 

1.  "  Madonna  della  Luce  "  (rough  picture  by  a  Leccese,  before      ^ 

1466). 

2.  "  S.  Anna  and  child"  (signed  "Seraphimus  Elmus  pingebat"). 

3.  "S.  Oronzo"(  „  „  „  1736). 

4.  "  S.  Agatha." 

Architecture  : 

Facade  one  of  most  baroque  in  Lecce,  and  has  few  points  in 
its  favour.  Diamond  rustications  on  only  part  of  wall  otherwise 
undecorated. 

Interior  of  excellent  design.  Fluted  Doric  order,  caps  with 
egg-and-tongue  moulding ;  the  whole  scheme  remarkably  like 
proportions  of  an  English  Gothic  church,  with  triforium  and 
clerestory. 

The  saints  (twelve  apostles)  referred  to  above  are  placed  on 
ugly  pedestals.     Tombs  and  altars  as  rococo  as  usual. 

16.  S.  Maria  degli  K^g^ia  {S.  Francesco  di  Paolo) 

No.  5  Piazza  Peruzzi 
History : 

Commonly  known  as  S.  Francesco  di  Paola,  because  it  belonged 
to  a  monastery  of  friars  following  his  rule,  under  the  name  of 
S.  Michele.     Was  enlarged  to  contain  seventy-six  friars  in  1657. 

Architecture : 

Exterior  baroque  of  earlier  period,  with  florid  central  door  and 
bell-turret.  Interior  baroque  of  the  Gothic  variety,  much  over- 
done. Has  round  columns,  composite  caps,  and  ceiling  partly 
barrel,  partly  vaulted  ;  richly  decorated.  Monuments  and  heraldry 
interesting. 

Paintings : 

1.  "  Annunciation  "  (local  artist,  1726).     Mediocre. 

2.  "S.  Maria  di  Puzzolo"  (near  Lecce).  „ 

3.  **  S.    Carlo    Borromeo "    (Gian     Domenico     Catalano     of 

Gallipoli). 


346  APPENDIX 

4.  "  S.  Anna,  S.  Gioacchino,  e  la  Bambina"  (P.  Colavitae). 

Very  poor. 

5.  Subject  uncertain  (Venetian  school).     Chapel  of  Nativity. 

6.  "  Massacre    of    Innocents "    (artist   unknown).      Excellent 

picture,  good  composition  and  colouring. 

17. — S.  Maria  di  Cerrate 

Outside  the  city  walls 
Architecture : 

A  pre-Renaissance  church  of  excellent  design,  well  illustrated 
by  two  woodcuts  on  p.  205  of  "  La  Patria  "  (see  Bibliography). 

18.  S.  Maria  delle  Grazie 

Piazza  S.  Oronzo 
History : 

Formerly  a  Cappelluccia.  Rebuilt  as  we  now  see  it  from 
designs  by  architect  Michele  Colutio  (Chierico  Regolare). 
Ceiling,  organ,  and  crucifix  of  altar  nearest  sacristy  are  work 
of  Mastro  Vespasiano  Genuino  di  Gallipoli.  Pulpit  and  two 
holy-water  basins  made  by  order  of  D.  Francesco  Paladini  and 
bear  his  arms.     Made  a  Parrocchia  in  1606. 

Architecture  : 

Fagade  comparatively  severe  and  small.  Large  central  door 
with  rich  carving  and  double  pediment  over.  Interior  has  fluted 
Corinthian  pilasters,  arches  between,  clerestory  windows  over. 
Fine  coffered  ceiling,  fiat.  A  lofty  and  effective  design.  Plan, 
cruciform. 

Paintings : 

"S.  Carlo"  (Lombard  School).  Altar  of  Marchesi  Esperti 
di  Struda. 

19.  S.  Maria  della  Porta 

No.  1 2  Piazza  Arco  di  Trionfo 
History  : 

Formerly  a  small  church  outside  walls  dedicated  to  "  Mary 
who  found  Jesus   disputing  with   the   doctors."      Built   in   city 


APPENDIX  347 

on  reconstructing  walls  1548,  made  a  parrocchia   1606.     Rebuilt 
1855-8  by  architect  Giuseppe  Majola. 

Architecture  : 

Covered  by  a  flat  but  striking  dome  with  glazed  tiles.  A 
formal  classic  design,  but  well  suited  to  surroundings. 

20.  Madonna  del  Carmine 

Piazza  di  Re  Tancredi 

History  : 

Church  and  convent  built  1546  to  house  friars,  whose  convent 
outside  city  was  destroyed  that  year  by  earthquake.  In  records 
of  Chapter  of  Cathedral  of  Lecce  it  is  related  that  the  Sindaco  of 
Lecce  laid  a  complaint  in  the  Episcopal  Courts  against  the 
Carmelite  Fathers,  who,  armed  with  swords,  rapiers,  and  daggers, 
had  disturbed  him  in  the  possession  of  the  garden  formerly 
belonging  to  Fulgenzio  della  Monica.  Church  razed  and  rebuilt 
171 1  from  designs  by  Giuseppe  Cino.  Monks  expelled  1807, 
and  monastery  turned  into  barracks  18 13.  Church  always  re- 
mained open  and  entrusted  to  the  Confraternita  del  Carmine. 
From  1853-60  part  was  given  to  the  Paolotti.  At  present  day 
(1909)  new  monastic  buildings  are  being  erected  between  the 
church  and  the  Viale  d'  Italia,  another  proof  of  the  Church's 
activity. 

Architecture  : 

Fagade  one  of  most  baroque  in  Lecce.  Has  already  been 
mentioned  in  Chapter  VIII.,  also  the  magnificent  interior,  illus- 
trated on  fig.  23. 

Paintings : 

1.  "S.  Nicolb." 

2.  "S.  Antonio  the  Abbot"  (both  probably  Solimena's  school). 

3.  "  Presentation     in     Temple "    (?  Camuccini).       Excellent 

picture. 

4.  "  Holy  Family"  ("N.N.  "  a  good  Leccese  painter).    On  left 

of  principal  door. 

5.  "  Flight  into  Egypt  "  (?  Matteo  da  Lecce).     In  a  small  new 

oratory  at  back. 

6.  "  Madonna  and  Child  "  (early). 


348  APPENDIX 

21.  S,  Nicol6  e  Cataldo 
History  : 

Built  by  Tancred  1180  while  living  in  Lecce  before  being 
elected  King  of  Sicily.  Has  special  interest  as  being  last  great 
building  of  last  great  Norman  king.  Cloister  rebuilt  later,  but 
without  improving  on  original  design.  At  first  inhabited  by 
Benedettini  Neri,  who  reconstructed  convent.  In  1494  convent 
passed  by  donation  to  King  Alfonso  of  Aragon  and  to  the 
Olivetani,  who  rebuilt  much  of  it;  and  in  17 10  renewed  the 
facade  of  the  church,  callously  covering  up  the  old  one.  Under 
Napoleon  I.  convent  was  suppressed.  Is  now  poorhouse  for 
Lecce,  Gallipoli,  and  neighbourhood.  The  entrance  doorway 
has  recently  been  restored  badly,  some  charming  little  baroque 
figures  having  been  removed  to  display  a  newly  inserted  and 
glaringly  yellow  stone  shaft. 

The  following  two  inscriptions  survive ;  over  the  main 
doorway : 

Hac  in  carne  sita  quia  labitur  irrita  vita 
Consule  dives  ita  ne  sit  pro  carne  sopita 
Vite  Tancredus  Comes  eternum  sibi  fedus 
Firmat  in  his  donis  ditans  hec  templa  colonis. 

Over  doorway  into  cloister  : 

Anno  milleno  centeno  bis  quadrageno 
Quo  patuit  mundo  Christus  sub  rege  secondo 
Guillelmo  magnus  comito  Tancredus  et  agnus 
Nomine  quern  legit  Nicolai  templa  peregit. 

Tombs  : 

Only  one  remaining  is  that  of  Ascanio  Grandi  the  poet. 

Architecture : 

See  figs.  7,  8,  g,  10,  n,  24. 

An  excellent  criticisim  of  this  church  as  a  whole  is  given  by 
Bertaux  (see  Bibliography),  of  which  I  append  a  rough  translation : 

"  Count  Tancred's  building  may  be  described  as  a  Bur- 
gundian  church  of  Leccese  stone  in  a  shell  of  Greek-Apulian 
architecture.  A  composite  yet  harmonious  structure,  where  all 
the  French  detail  is  scholarly  and  correct,  whilst  the  cupola,  a 


APPENDIX  349 

unique  creation  and  without  an  equal  in  Greece  or  Italy,  may  be 
deemed  the  work  of  a  foreigner  who,  with  the  remembrance  of 
northern  art  still  in  his  mind,  took  a  pleasure  in  freely  adopting 
the  outline  of  the  Greek  churches  in  the  Terra  d'  Otranto.  The 
architect  of  this  church  near  Lecce  was  without  doubt  a  Clugniac 
or  Cistercian,  and  indeed  this  building  formed  part  of  a  monastery 
of  the  order  of  St.  Benedict,  founded  by  Tancred." 

The  baroque  fagade  added  in  1710  is  illustrated  on  fig.  24. 

22,     S.  Nicol6  de  Greci 
History  : 

Greeks  having  lost  their  church   of  S.   Nicolo    1575,    moved 

into  the  chapel  dedicated  to  S.  Giovanni  del  Malato,  thereafter 

known  as  S.  Nicolo  de  Greci.     See  pp.  238-9. 

Architecture  : 

A  very  simple  little  baroque  facade  of  a  dull  Doric  order,  the 
plainest  in  Lecce.  Side  walls  perfectly  blank,  more  noticeable  as 
the  church  stands  in  a  larghetto. 

23,     Church  of  Nativity     {Santissimo  Sacratnento) 

No.  10.  Via  Idomeneo 
History  : 

An  ex-convent  of  Dominican  nuns  dedicated  to  the  Nativity 
della  Madonna.  Founded  by  Nuzzo  Cacudi  1470.  Church 
demolished  and  rebuilt  1703,  at  expense  of  Giuseppe  Angrisani, 
Baron  of  Torchiarolo  (costing  ;^77o),  to  designs  of  Giuseppe 
Cino  and  under  his  supervision.  Convent  suppressed  by  a 
decree  of  181 2,  signed  by  Queen  Caroline  on  behalf  of  her 
absent  husband,  Joachim  Murat. 

Architecture : 

Of  the  most  rococo  type,  both  within  and  without.  Plan  oval. 
Ceiling  boldly  modelled  in  plaster  with  birds,  etc. 

24.     Church  of  the  Paolotti 

Piazza   Peruzzi 
History  : 

In  rebuilding  walls  of  Lecce  in  1543  this  convent  was  in  part 
removed,  part  left  standing  and  enclosed  within  city  walls.     The 


35o  APPENDIX 

convent  was  granted  to  the  city  by  decrees  of  1812  and  1816, 
as  a  house  of  correction  and  has  since  been  used  as  a  prison. 

Architecture: 

Exterior  thoroughly  bad.  Interior  closed  when  visited  by  the 
author. 

25.     Church  of  the  Rosario 

Via  Porta  di  Rusce,  3  and  5 
History  : 

Now  a  tobacco  manufactory  occupies  the  monastic  buildings, 
used  by  the  Dominican  friars  up  to  suppression  of  monasteries, 
alterations  for  new  purpose  being  made  181 2-14.  In  182 1 
the  church  was  reopened  for  religious  purposes  under  the  Con- 
gregazione  del  Rosario,  whose  rules  were  sanctioned  by  a 
rescript  of  1829. 

In  these  buildings  was  manufactured,  up  to  i860,  the  famous 
"  Polvere  Leccese,"  so  pleasing  to  the  senses  of  Napoleon  I.,  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  connoisseurs  of  snuff  in  modern  times. 

Infantino  describes  the  old  church  and  convent  which  were 
built  by  Giovanni  d'  Aymo.  These  buildings  were  razed  and 
built  on  a  larger  scale  by  the  Dominicans  between  1691  and 
1728.     Giuseppe  Zimbalo  was  architect  of  the  new  church. 

In  the  old  church  was  the  tomb  of  Antonio  de  Ferraris 
("  Galateus ")  and  the  one  belonging  to  the  Florentine  nation. 
Infantino  gives  the  inscriptions  carved  on  both.  In  Biba's 
demolition  Galateus's  tomb  was  removed  and  placed  in  an 
out-of-the-way  spot,  where  it  lay  till  1788,  in  which  year  it  was 
placed  on  the  wall  to  left  of  main  door.  This  monument  is  in 
relief  and  comprises  a  bust  of  Galateus  and  an  inscription.  The 
stone  of  the  Florentines'  sepulchre  forms  the  step  of  the  main 
doorway  to  the  church,  and  so  the  inscription  is  now  almost 
illegible.  The  Dominicans  retained  the  title  of  S.  Giovanni 
d'Aymo  for  the  new  convent,  which  was  greatly  admired  for 
" excellent  workshops  and  magnificent  cloisters."  ...  "A 
wealthy  institution  with  many  friars  there  and  a  Professor  and 
numerous  classes."  For  the  story  of  S.  Giovanni  d'  Aymo  see 
pp.  161-2. 


M.  S.  B.  .{el, 
42.      A    HAROQUE   WINDOW,    LECCE 


P    350] 


43.       THE    CLOISTERS    OF     IHE    ROSARIO    CHURCH,     LECCE 
{M.  S.  B.  del.,  from  an  old  print) 


APPENDIX  351 

Architecture : 

Fa9ade,  one  of  most  baroque  and  least  effective  in  Lecce. 
General  design  and  detail  alike  bad.  Huge  pineapple-like  finials 
particularly  ugly. 

Interior  very  rococo,  the  capitals  of  piers  being  curious  but 
not  pleasing,  the  shaft  below  broken  by  strapwork  ornaments 
cutting  into  the  fluting.  All  the  ceilings  covered  with  bare 
boards  only,  and  over  the  crossing  heavy  wooden  trusses  are 
left  in  sight.  The  heavily  gilt  twin-organ  is  one  of  the  best 
features. 

Paintings  : 

As  a  whole,  of  little  interest.  By  local  artists,  probably 
specially  painted  for  the  church. 

26.  Chiesa  delle  Scalze 

Piazzetta  di  Mariotto  Corso  17 
History  : 

Attached  to  monastery  of  same  name  ("  barefooted  "),  dedicated 
to  Mary,  Mother  of  God,  and  S.  Nicolo.  Bellisario  Paladini  by 
his  will  (1629)  founded  in  his  own  houses  a  nunnery  for  maiden 
ladies.  Approved  by  Pontifical  brief  October  1630,  opened 
March  163 1,  under  rule  of  S.  Teresa  and  direction  of  PP.  Teresiani 
Scalzi.  In  1791  the  only  two  nuns  remaining  (an  aunt  and  niece 
of  the  Tafuro  family)  were  transferred  to  S.  Giovanni  Evangelista, 
and  convent  closed.  Reopened  1796,  nuns  of  S.  Chiara  di 
Lequile  coming  to  live  there. 

Architecture : 

Rococo  of  the  more  delicate  type.  Interior  different  from 
all  other  Lecce  churches,  and  plan  simple.  Fluted  Corinthian 
pilasters,  barrel  vault  over  nave. 

27.  San  Sebastiano 

Vico  Sotterranei 
History  ; 

This  Conservatorio  founded  on  the  occasion  of  a  plague  (1520), 
a  convent  of  the  Capucins  added  a  year  later.     In  alterations 


352  APPENDIX 

(November  1862)  workmen  came  on  an  underground  church 
below  that  of  S.  Sebastiano.  Here,  it  was  expected,  lay  the  bodies 
of  S.  Oronzo  and  his  fellow-martyrs,  but  nothing  was  found,  so 
further  excavation  was  discontinued. 

Architecture  : 

Simple,  and  of  the  Early  period.  A  small,  unobtrusive  stone 
building. 

28.  S.  Teresa 

Via  Porta  di  Rusce  37 

History : 

Old  church  of  the  Teresiani,  occupied  after  1831  by  a  coalition 
of  two  religious  confraternities  in  Lecce,  of  the  Gonfalone  and 
of  the  SS.  Crocefisso.  A  picture  was  brought  here,  of  which  the 
following  story  is  related.  At  No.  25,  Via  Augusto  Imperatore, 
there  once  was  an  inn,  on  wall  of  which  was  a  fresco  of  "  The 
Virgin  and  Child."  One  Algozino,  of  the  Governor's  court, 
losing  in  play  there,  threw  himself  dagger  in  hand  on  the  holy 
picture  and  aimed  a  blow  at  the  Child,  which,  when  struck,  it  is 
said,  began  to  bleed  from  the  wound.  The  inn  was  converted  into 
a  church  and  rebuilt  1626.  Parallel  cases  exist  at  Lecce  and 
Mesagne. 

Architecture : 

Plan  uncommon ;  oval  domes  over  chapels,  rest  vaulted. 
Fluted  Corinthian  pilasters.  Ceiling  curiously  vaulted  in  plaster 
with  flat  ribs  and  bosses  at  their  intersection.  Fagade  unfinished 
and  over-elaborate. 


OTHER   CHURCHES    OF   MINOR   INTEREST 

29.  S.  Antonio. 

30.  Church  del  Bambino.     Via  Marcus  Aurelius  Antoninus. 

31.  Church  of  the  Bonfratelli  (1699). 

32.  S.  Filomena. 

33.  S.  Giovanni  di  Uio. 

34.  S.  Giuseppe. 


APPENDIX  353 

35.  S.  Leonardo  (1600). 

36.  S.  Maria  della  Carita  (1853).     Via  Aug.  Imperatore. 

37.  „         dei  Veterani. 

38.  „        del  Tempio  (founded  1432). 

39.  Churcli  of  the  Visitation  of  the  B.V.M.  (1664).     Vico  dei 


Creti. 

Suburban  Churches 

40.  S.  Croce. 

41.  S.  Filomena. 

42.  S  Lazzaro. 

43.  Madonna  dell'  Idri. 

44.  S.  Pasquale. 

45.  Church  degli  Studenti. 

SECULAR   BUILDINGS 

46.  Palazzo  Adorni 

No.  32  Via  della  Prefettura 

Lofty  building  in  baroque  style,  very  yellow  stone.  Too  much 
rusticated  to  be  a  good  design.  Interesting  for  purposes  of 
comparison. 

47.  The  Castle 

For  historical  and  architectural  notes  see  p.  237.  Contains  a 
large  amount  of  interesting  detail  of  Charles  V.'s  time.  The 
great  hall  is  closed  to  visitors,  being  used  for  military  purposes. 
As  the  whole  castle  is  occupied  by  the  garrison,  visitors  can  only 
be  admitted  through  acquaintance  with  the  officer  in  charge. 
Fine  view  from  the  top  of  the  keep.  Alterations  within  the  past 
century  have  fortunately  not  affected  the  greater  part  of  the 
building. 

48.  The  Column 

in  the  Piazza  St.  Oronzo,  bearing  statue  of  the  saint,  was  voted  by 
the  city  in  1656,  the  foundations  blessed  by  Bishop  Pappacoda 
ten  years  later.  In  168 1  the  shaft  was  either  taken  from  Brindisi 
or  presented  by  its  citizens.     This  point  is  mysterious,  and  makes 

23 


354  APPENDIX 

one  wonder  why  the  shaft  should  fit  the  base  so  well.  The  statue, 
fourteen  feet  high,  was  cast  in  Venice  ;  but  burnt  by  lightning 
1737,  replaced  by  a  statue  seventeen  feet  high  in  1739.  The 
work  was  completed  in  1684,  Zimbalo  being  the  architect. 

49.  Palazzo  Conte  Balzo 
For  sketch  of  fagade  see  fig.  32. 

50.  Palazzo  Conte  Castriota 

Via  Augusto  Imperatore,  opposite  the  Albergo  Risorgimento. 
For  sketch  of  cortile  see  fig.  30. 

51.  Palace  in  Via  Guglielmo  Paladini 
The  quaint  old  palace  opposite  the  Liceo.     See  fig.  29. 

52.  Via  Leonardo  Prato,  No.  21 
For  sketch  see  fig.  33. 

53.  Liceo  Palmieri 

For  notes  on  the  building  of  this  institution  see  p.  221. 
Contains  a  number  of  interesting  pictures,  mostly  hung  in  the 
old  conventual  rooms,  of  which  following  are  most  noteworthy. 

1.  "  Six  battles  "  (Coppola  da  Gallipoli). 

2.  "  S.  Andrea  "  (Luca  Giordano). 
"  Two  groups  of  angels  and  cherubs  "  (Antonio  Verrio). 
"  Eight  battles  "  (Coppola). 

"  Moses  producing  water  from  mountain  "  (Giordano). 
"  Moses  saved  from  the  waters  "  (Giordano). 
"  S.  Anthony  the  Abbot  "  (Tiso). 
"  S.  Francis  of  Assisi  "  (Tiso). 
"  Woman  taken  in  adultery  "  (Tiso). 
"  Blessing   of  Jacob "   (Tiso).     Six   pictures.     Numbered 

706.     This   picture  is   old,    dirty,    and   dull,   but   well 
painted. 

11.  "  S.  Oronzo  "  (Coppola). 

12.  "S.  Carlo  Borromeo  giving  to  the  poor  the  price  of  his 
fief  at  Oria." 


' 


APPENDIX  355 

13.  "  Father  Onofrio  Paradiso  preaching  in  a  village."     No. 

697.     Very  poor. 

14,  "  Apparition  of  St.  Francis  to  Father  Mastrillo  "  (Antonio 

Verrio).     Excellent. 

54.  Palazzo  Paladini 

One  of  numerous  houses  owned  by  this  family.  Close  to 
entrance  to  the  Amphitheatre.     See  fig.  3. 

55.    MUNICIPIO 

Via  Tribunali 

For  historical  and  architectural  notes  see  p.  254.  For  view 
see  fig.  26. 

56.  Palazzo  Palmieri 

42  Via  Giuseppe  Palmieri 

Here  were  entertained  Joachim  Murat  and  Joseph  Napoleon, 
Kings  of  Naples;  also  Micheroux  in  1800. 

57.  Palazzo  Perroni 

14  Via  Perroni 

This  family  said  by  tradition  to  be  descended  from  S.  Oronzo, 
just  as  the  Afflitto  family  of  Naples  is  said  to  be  descended  from 
St.  Eustace,  and  a  bust  of  the  saint  appears  on  the  wall.  These 
houses  were  bequeathed  by  Saverio,  the  last  of  the  Perroni,  to 
Nicola  Paladini,  his  great  grand-nephew. 

58.  Palazzo  Prato 
2  Via  Leonardo   Prato 

The  fine  arch  adjoining  is  known  as  "  Dei  Prato."  For  build- 
ing this  palace  Leonardo  obtained  many  favours  and  privileges 
from  the  Aragons. 

59.  Porta  San  Biagio 

One  of  the  four  opening  out  of  the  city,  Porta  S.  Martino 
being   destroyed   in    1826.     Appears  to  have   been  built   1774, 


356  APPENDIX 

but  Professor  de  Simone  thinks  that  a  gate  existed  here  at  a 
much  earlier  date. 

60,  Porta  di  Rusce 

A  gateway  here  fell  at  end  of  seventeenth  century,  and  was 
rebuilt  in  a  more  ambitious  form  by  Sindaco  Prospero  Lubelli 
as  we  see  it  to-day.  Restored  1854.  Statues  or  busts  of  Euippa, 
Malennius,  Daunus,  Idomeneus,  etc.  Date  on  a  label  1703. 
This  was  principal  entrance  to  city  till  Strada  Nuova  was  made 
from  Porta  di  Napoli.  Old  road  to  Novoli,  Arnesano,  and 
Naples. 

For  inscriptions  see  de  Simone's  "  Lecce  e  i  Suoi  Monumenti," 
pp.  312-13. 

61.  Porta  di  Napoli  (Arco  di  Trionfo) 

This  was  formerly  known  as  St.  Justus's  Gate.  For  historical 
notes  see  p.  183.     Illustration  fig.  13. 

62.  Palazzo  della  Prefettura 

Formerly  monastery  of  S.  Croce.  See  under  S.  Croce, 
pp.  336-8.     Illustrated  on  figs.  14  and  31. 

63.  Sedile 

The  Seggio,  Tocco  or  Sedile  was  place  of  meeting  for  Public 
Authority.  Built  by  Sindaco  Pier  Mucinico  (1592).  On  it  was 
a  public  clock  which  showed  the  time  and  phases  of  the  moon. 
This  clock  remade  1765  by  the  Leccese  Mastro  Domenico 
Panico,  and  replaced  by  an  electro-magnetic  clock  1869. 

Municipal  body  sat  here  up  to  1851,  in  which  year  it  moved 
to  No.  22  Via  Regina  Isabella,  in  September  1864  to  St.  Irene, 
to  No.  38  Via  della  Prefettura  in  1873,  ^"d  more  recently  to 
the  present  Municipio  in  Via  Tribunali.  In  185 1  many  of  the 
archives  were  lost  during  removal.  In  i860  the  National  Guard 
was  placed  in  the  Sedile.  Up  to  1896  the  literary  society 
"  Giuseppe  Giusti "  met  here.  On  the  upper  floor  is  placed  the 
machinery  for  electric  clocks  invented  by  the  Leccese  Giuseppe 
Candido.     By   the  exertions  of  Giuseppe   Pellegrino,   a  recent 


APPENDIX  357 

mayor,  this  little  building  has  been  restored — more  successfully 
in  this  case— and  adapted  as  a  museum  of  modern  Leccese 
sculpture  by  Maccagnani,  Bortoni,  and  others.  See  fig.  17, 
showing  it  before  restoration. 

64.  Seminario 

Piazza  del  Duomo 
History  : 

Built  1694-1709  by  Giuseppe  Cino  for  the  bishops  Michele 
and  Fabrizio  Pignatelli.     Illustrated  on  fig.  28. 

65.  Tribunali 

Formerly  the  monastic  buildings  attached  to  the  Gesu  church. 
For  historical  notes  see  p.  238. 

66.  Vescovado 

(Bishop's  palace)  Piazza  del  Duomo 

Built  by  Mons.  Geronimo  Giudano  (1420-8),  and  surrounded 
with  shops  on  ground  floor,  with  a  great  entrance  carved  with 
arms  of  Lecce,  Aragon,  etc.  A  large  part  of  the  Episcopio 
was  remodelled  in  1874  by  the  Diocesan  authorities.  In  1745 
Cardinal  Spinelli  stayed  here,  in  the  spring  of  1797  Ferdinand  IV. 
with  his  wife,  General  Acton,  and  others. 

67.  Obelisk 
Outside  Porta  di  Napoli 
Erected  about  a  century  ago  by  one  of  the  Ferdinands. 


** 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

I.     BOOKS    RELATING   TO   LECCE   OR   CONTAINING 
USEFUL   REFERENCES   TO   LECCE 

Aar  (Ermanno) : 

1.  "Gli  studi  storici  in  Terra  d' Otranto."  (See  also  under 
De  Simone.) 

d'  Amelio  (Francescantonio) : 

2.  "  Puesei  a  lingua  leccese." 

(A  few  poems  in  dialect  published  locally.) 

Ammirato  (Scipione) : 

3.  "  Storia  della  famiglia  dell'  Antoglietta,  scritta  da  S.  A., 
stampata  in  Firenze  appresso  Giorgio  Marescotti  nell'anno  1597 
con  licenza  dei  Superiori — arrichita  ed  ornata  di  varie  altre  an- 
tichissime  notizie  storiche  I'anno  1846  da  Luigi  Cepolla,  Bari, 
dal  Nuovo  Grande  Stabilimento  poligrafico  di  Tibino  Pansini 
1846." 

(For  other  works  by  S.  A.  see  p.  370.) 

Ampolo  (Pascale)  : 

4.  "  Risposta  alle  critiche  Annotazioni  del  Sig'  Gio.  Ber- 
nardino Tafuri  sopra  le  Antiche  Cronache  di  Messer  Antonello 
Coniger  del  Dottor  P.  A.  All'  111.  mo  Signore  D.  Oronzo  Mare- 
scallo."     Lecce,  1736. 

359 


36o  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

De  Angelis  (Domenico) : 

5.  "Vita  di  A.  Caraccio,"  etc.,  from  Crescimbini  [G.M.]  "  Le 
vite  degli  Arcadi  illustri,"  etc.     4to.     1708. 

6.  See  Ferrari's  "Apologia  Paradossica.  .  .  .  Colla  vita  dell' 
autore  "  [by  D.  d' A.]    4to.     1708. 

7.  "  Delia    patria    d'  Ennio :    dissertazione."     Romae,     8vo. 
1701. 

8.  "  Delia  vita  di  Scipione  Ammirato,"  libri  tre.    8vo.    Lecce, 
1706. 

9.  "Le  vite  de  letterati  Salentini."     4to.    2    parts.     Firenze, 
1710-13. 

10.  "  Vita  di  Andrea  Peschiulli,"  etc.  See  Crescimbini  as 
above,  Parte  seconda.     4to.     1708. 

11.  "  Discorso  istorico  in  cui  si  tratta  dell'  origine  e  della  fon- 
dazione  della  citta  di  Lecce,  e  d'  alcune  migliori,  e  piu  principal! 
notizie  di  essa."     Lecce,  1705. 

Angiulli  (Tomaso) : 

12.  "  Lecce  rosata."     Lecce,  1656. 

Arditi  (Giacomo) : 

13.  "Corografia  fisica  e  storica  della  Provincia  di  Terra 
d'Otranto." 

AvENA  (A.) : 

14.  "  Monument!  della  Provincia  di  Bari,"  etc. 

(A  periodical  published  by  Italian  Government.    Recent.) 

Bernardini  (N.)  : 

15.  "  Ferdinando  II.  a  Lecce,  1859."  pp.  194,  8vo.  Lecce, 
1895. 

16.  "  Giornali  e  giornalisti  leccesi."  pp.  311,  8vo.  Lecce, 
1886. 

Bertaux  (Henri) : 

17.  "  L'art  dans  ritalie  Meridionale."     4to.     Rome,  1904. 

(The    best    and    most   modern    book   on   the   subject. 
Splendidly  illustrated.) 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  361 

BouRGET  (Paul) : 

18.   "  Sensations  d'ltalie."     8vo.     Hachette  :  Paris. 

(Chapters  XX.  XXI.  XXII.  of  this  book  describe  the 
author's  visit  to  Lecce.) 

Briggs  (Martin  Shaw)  : 

ig.  "Lecce."  Four  articles  in  th.Q  Architectural  Review,  with 
photographs  and  drawings  by  the  author  and  Ralph  Thorp. 
Folio.     London,  1909-1910. 

Cantarelli  : 

20.  "  Storia  di  Lecce."     8vo.     Lecce,  c.  1840. 

Casotti  (Francesco) : 

21.  "  Arciconfraternita  del  SS.  Crocifisso  e  Gonfalone  della 
Citta  di  Lecce.  Regoli  precedute  da  breve  notizia  sulla  fon- 
dazione,  indulgenze,  e  privilegi."     Florence,  1875. 

22.  "  Scritti  inediti  e  rari  di  diversi  autori  trovati  nella 
Provincia  d' Otranto."     Naples,  1865. 

Castromediano  (Duke  Sigismondo)  : 

23.  "Carceri  galeri  politiche  Memorie,"  etc.  2  vols.,  8vo. 
Lecce,  1895. 

24.  "  Delle  monete  d'  oro  trovato  a  Cursi,  Terra  d'  Otranto. 
Ricerche  e  descrizione."     pp.  38,  8vo.     Lecce,  1885. 

25.  "  Due  capitoli  tolti  alle  Memorie  del  Duca  Sig.  Castro- 
mediano."    pp.  71,  8vo.     Lecce,  1886. 

26.  "  La  chiesa  di  S.  Maria  di  Cerrate  nel  Contado  di  Lecce. 
Ricerche."     8vo.     Lecce,  1877. 

27.  "  La  Commissione  conservatrice  dei  Monumenti  storici  di 
Terra  d' Otranto.     Relazione  per  gli  anni  1874-5."     1875. 

28.  "  Le  inscrizioni  Messapiche,"  raccolti  dal  Cav.  L.  Mag- 
giullo  e  Duca  S.  C.     8vo.     187 1. 

Cepolla  (Luigi) : 

29.  "  Breve  cenno  fugitive  della  Storia  primitiva  di  Ugento." 
Bari :  Fratelli  Cannone,  1841. 


362  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

30.  "  Schediasma  archeologicum  in  primaevam  Civitatis  Uxenti 
historiam.  Ex  triga  orationum  huic  rei  adtinentium  unice  col- 
lectuin."     Pub.  as  above. 

31.  "  Dissertatio  appendica  ad  Uxentinas  antiquitates,  in  qua 
animus  est  vindicare  a  magna  inscitia  et  oblivione  nostrorum 
Populorum  duo  insigna  capita  Historiae  veteris  Japygiae."  Pub. 
as  above,  1842. 

32.  "  Illustrazioni  degli  emblemi  mito  istorici  seguiti  da  alcuni 
molti  indicanti  le  primi  tre  epoche  eroiche  degli  antichi  popoli 
Salentini,  figurati  nella  nuova  Aguglia  eretta  fuori  della  Porta  di 
Napoli  in  Lecce."     pp.  16,  8vo.     Lecce,  1827. 

33.  "  I  fasti  della  Storia  antica  della  Giapigia  Messapia." 

Cesaresco  (Countess  E.  Martinengo) : 

34.  "  The  Liberation  of  Italy."  8vo.  Seeley  &  Co.  :  London, 
1902. 

(Contains  an  appreciation  of  Castromediano.) 

CoNiGER  (Antonello) : 

35.  "  Le  Cronache  di  Messer  A.  C  Gentiluomo  Leccese 
mandate  in  luce  dal  Signor  Giusto  Palma  Consolo  dell'  Accademia 
degli  Spioni.  Con  una  semplice  e  diligente  Relazione  della 
ruinovata  Divozione  verso  il  glorioso  Martire  di  Christo,  Patrizio 
e  primo  Vescovo  di  Lecce  S.  Oronzio,  di  Gio.  Cammillo  Palma 
Dottor  Teologo,  Arcidiacono  di  Lecce.  Al  molto  illustre  signor 
Giovambattista  Stomeo."     Brindisi,  1700 

CORTi  (Siro) : 

36.  "  Provincia  di  Lecce."  With  maps  and  woodcuts.  (One  of 
a  series  of  small  geographies  of  the  Italian  provinces.)  G.  B. 
Paravia  &  Co.  :  Rome,  1907. 

Craven  (Hon.  Richard  Keppel) : 

37.  "  A   Tour   through   the  Southern    Provinces  of  Naples." 


Dalbono  (C.  T.)  : 

38.  "  Storia  della  pittura  in  Napoli  e  Sicilia."     Napoli,  1854. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  363 

Fatal6  (Nicolb  Francesco) : 

39.  "  La  Cronologia  de'  Vescovi  della  Chiesa  di  Lecce,  princi- 
piata  da  S.  Orontio,  primo  Cristiano,  primo  Vescovo,  e  primo 
Martire,  di  quella,  compita  nell'  111.  e  Rev.  Monsig.  D.  Michele 
Pignatelli,  che  adesso  la  governa,  scritta  da  N.  F.  F.,  canonico 
della  medesima  Chiesa."     MS.  only,  c.  1695. 

(Good  for  municipal  history.) 

De  Ferraris  (Antonio),  "  Galateus  "  : 

40.  "  De  Situ  lapygiae."     Basle,  1558. 

FoscARiNi  (A.) : 

41.  "  I  dottori  in  Legge  e  in  Medicina  leccesi."  pp.  58,  8vo. 
Lecce,  1895, 

Gay  (Jules) : 

42.  "  L'ltalie  Meridionale  et  I'Empire  Byzantin."     1904. 

GiGLi  (Giuseppe)  : 

43.  "  Superstizione  e  tradizioni  in  Terra  d'  Otranto."  pp.  290, 
Svo.     Florence,  1893. 

GiGLiOLi  (Constance  H.  D.) : 

44.  "  Naples  in  1799."     Illustrated.      London:  Murray,  1903. 

De  Giorgi  (Cosimo ;  Cav.  Professor) : 

45.  "La  Provincia  di  Lecce." 

46.  "  Geografia  fisica  e  descrittiva  della  Provincia  di  Lecce." 
Recent. 

47.  '*  Illustrazioni  archeologiche.  Ricerche  sulle  tombe  di 
Rugge  sugli  incrostamenti  e  depositi  dei  vasi  fittili  in  esse  contenuti 
e  sui  mezzi  adopterati  per  distruggerli."     8vo.     Lecce,  1872. 

48.  "Note  Geologiche  sulla  provincia  di  Lecce."  8vo.  Illus- 
trated.    Lecce,  1876. 

49.  "  Lecce  Sotteranea."  An  account  of  the  excavations 
carried  out  by  the  State  Authorities  at  Lecce  between  the  years 
1900  and  1906.     Folio,  pp.  215.     Lecce,  1907. 

(An  excellent  book,  with  good  collotypes  and  plans  of 
excavations.) 


364  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

50.  "  Nardb."     Recent. 

51.  "Otranto  nel  1480.  Commemorazione  civile  dei  Difensori 
e  Martiri  di  Otranto,  letta  in  Otranto  il  di  13  agosto  del  1891." 
8vo,  pp.  40.     Lecce,  1891. 

Di  Giorgi  (Francesco  Antonio) : 

52.  "  Delle  nobili  famiglie  Leccesi."  Edited  by  Ermenegildo 
Persone.     Naples,  1780. 

Grande  (Salvatore) : 

53.  "  CoUana  di  opera  scelte,  edite  e  inedite  di  Scrittore  di 
Terra  d'  Otranto."  Edited  by  S.  G.  In  eleven  volumes.  8vo. 
Lecce,  1867-9. 

Grandi  (Ascanio) : 

54.  "  II  Tancredi — Poema  Heroico — Del  Sig""  Ascanio  Grandi 
— Con  gli  Argomenti  del  Signor — Giulio  Cesare  Grandi — suo 
Fratello— Al  Serenissimo^Carlo  Emanuele — Duca  di  Savoia — 
Impressione  Seconda — Nella  quale  e  stato  in  moltissimi — luoghi 
illustrate — dall'  Autore."  In  Lecce  1636 — Appresso  Pietro 
Micheli — Borgognone — Con  licenza  de' Superiori."  Dedicated 
"  Al  Signor  Girolamo  Cigala,  Baron  di  Sternatia."  pp.  x,  970. 
Lecce,  1636. 

Gregorovius  (Ferdinand)  : 

55.  "  Nelle  Puglie."  [Versione  dal  Tedesco  di  R.  Mariano.] 
Florence,  1882.     With  notes  by  the  translator.     8vo. 

Grimaldi  (March.  Ceva) : 

56.  "  Itinerario  da  Napoli  a  Lecce."     Naples,  1821. 

Haseloff  (Professor  Arthur) : 

57.  "  Hohenstaufische  Erinnerungen  in  Apulien."  Illustrated. 
8vo,  pp.  18.     Brunswick,  1906. 

Infantino  (Giulio  Cesare) : 

58.  "  Lecce  Sacra  di  G.  C.  I.  Parroco  di  Santa  Maria  della 
Luce,  ove  si  tratta  delle  vere  origini  e  fondationi   di    tutti    le 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  365 

Chiese,  Monasteri,  Cappelle,  Spedali  e  altri  luoghi  sacri  della 
citta  di  Lecce :  delle  reliquie  de'  Santi  che  vi  si  trovano,  et  delle 
opere  pie,  che  in  detti  luoglii  si  fanno.  Si  descrivono  gli  epitaffi 
et  inscrizioni  che  sono  in  detti  luoghi,  e  si  far  memoria  di  alcuni 
uomini  illustri  si  per  santita  di  vita,  come  per  lettere,  armi, 
dipintura  e  scoltura.  Opera  utile  e  curiosa."  ..."  Appresso 
Pietro  Micheli  con  licenza  de'  Superior!."     Lecce,  1 633. 

Jackson  (F.  Hamilton) : 

59.  "  The  Shores  of  the  Adriatic  :  Italian  Side."  With  illustra- 
tions.    8vo.     London:  John  Murray,  1906. 

Johnston  (R.  M.)  : 

60.  "  The  Napoleonic  Empire  in  Southern  Italy  and  the  Rise 
of  the  Secret  Societies."  2  vols.,  pp.  xx,  408,  viii,  232.  London  : 
Macmillan,  1904. 

LuvNES  (Le  Due  de) : 

61.  "  Les  Normands  dans  ITtalie."     Folio.     1844. 

Madaro  (Italo) : 

62.  "Guida  pratica  della  Citta  di  Lecce."  pp.  224.  Lecce, 
1904. 

Maggiulli  (Cav.  Luigi)  [see  also  "  Castromediano  "  ]  : 

63.  "  Monografia  Numismatica  della  Provincia  di  Terra 
d'Otranto,"  etc.     pp.  vii,  206,  8vo.     Lecce,    187 1. 

Magni  (Basilio) : 

64.  "  Storia  dell'  Arte  Italiana,  dalle  Origine  al  Secolo  XX." 
1900-1902. 

Manzi  (Giosu6) : 

65.  "  Ragguaglio  del  faustissimo  avvenimento  della  Maest^  di 
Ferdinando  IV.  (d.g.)  nella  cittk  di  Lecce,"  etc.,  etc.  Lecce, 
1798. 


366  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Marangio  (Pasquale) : 

66.  "Saggio  storico  della  cittk  di  Lecce."     1807. 

De  Marco  (Sae.  Saverio) : 

67.  "  Compendiosa  istoria  degli  Ottocento  Martiri  Otrantini." 
pp.  29.     Lecce,  1905. 

MiCALELLA  (Mario  Antonio)  : 

68.  "  Gli  lapigi."     8vo,  pp.  47.     Lecce,  1909. 

MoRELLi  (Salvatore) : 

69.  "  Le  feste  constituzioneli  di  Lecce."     Lecce,  1848. 

Napoli  (Q.)  : 

70.  "  Canti  popolari  leccesi."     8vo,  pp.  38.     Lecce,  1881. 

Palumbo  (P.)  : 

71.  "Storia    di    Lecce"   (now   appearing    in    parts).     Lecce, 
1909-10. 

(A  careful  historical  monograph  of  the  city.) 

Papadia  (Dottor  B.) : 

72.  "  Memorie  Storiche  della  cittk  di  Galatina." 

"La  Patria": 

73.  "  Geografia  dell'  Italia  .  .  .  Opera  compilata  dal  Professore 
Gustavo  Strafforello." 

(This  large  topographical  work  covers  the  whole  of 
Italy  in  a  large  number  of  folio  volumes,  and  will  be 
found  most  useful.  The  Province  of  Lecce  is  in  the 
volume  Foggia — Lecce — Potenza — Bari.  The  facts 
are  reliable  and  up-to-date,  the  illustrations  numerous 
and  good.) 

PicciNNi  (Francesco  Antonio) : 

74.  "  Lecce  antica  e  moderna,  divisa  in  5  parti." 

75.  "  Priorista."     1720-1799. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  367 

76.  "  Raccolta  di  antichi  fatti  e  moderni,  e  notizie  accadute 
sin  da  piCi  secoli  in  questa  citta  di  Lecce,  ricavate  da  veridici  ed 
antichi  manoscritti  de'nostri  padri  e  scrittori,  riunite  e  ricopiate 
fedelmente  da  me.  F.  Antonio  Piccinni  della  classe  de'  civili  di 
questa  citik  nell'  anno  1757,"  etc. 

"Puglie": 

77.  A  Guide  to  Apulia,  published  by  the  Itahan  State  Railways 
and  Touring  Club.     Illustrated.     Milan,  recent. 

Regio  (Paolo)  : 

78.  "  Dell'  Opere  Spirituali  di  Mons.  Paolo  Regio,  Vescovo 
di  Vico  Equense, — in  due  Parti  distinte.  In  Napoli  appresso 
Gioseppe  Cacchij  1' Anno  1592,  et  ristampata  in  Vico  Equense 
appresso  Gio.  Thomaso  Aulisio."     2  vols.     1593. 

Ross  (Janet)  : 

79.  "  The  Land  of  Manfred,  Prince  of  Tarentum  and  King  of 
Sicily.  Rambles  in  Remote  Parts  of  Southern  Italy."  With  a 
map  and  illustrations.    8vo,  pp.  xi,  365.    London  :  Murray,  1889. 

Saint-Non  (Jean  Claude  Richard  de) : 

80.  "  Voyage  Pittoresque,  ou  Description  des  royaumes  de 
Naples  et  de  Sicile."     With  plates.     5  vols,  folio.     Paris,  178 1-6. 

Salice  (Gio.  Andrea) : 

81.  "  Discendentia  de  li  Signori  de  la  Cit^  di  Lecce."  MS. 
only.     Middle  of  seventeenth  century. 

De  Sassenay  (Comte  Fernand  de)  : 

82.  "  Les  Brienne  de  Lecce  et  d'Athfenes.  Histoire  d'une  des 
grandes  families  de  la  F^odalite  Frangaise.  1200-1356."  8vo. 
Paris,  1869. 

ScARDiNO  (Peregrino) : 

83.  "  Discorso  .  intorno  all'antichitk  e  sito  .  della  fedelissima 
Citt^  .  di  Lecce  .  dell  Dott .  Peregrino  Scardino.  Al  molto  111''* 
Sig""  Leonardo  Prato."     4to,  50  pp.     Bari,  1506. 


368  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

De  Simone   (Luigi    Giuseppe   Oronzo    Mariano   Raffaele  Fran- 
cesco Fortunato  Felice) : 

84.  "  Degli  Angioni  Principi  di  Taranto"  (i 292-1 373).  Tipog. 
Naz.     Taranto,  1866. 

85.  "  Lecce  e  suoi  Monumenti  descritti  e  illustrati.  Vol.  I.  La 
Citta."     Gaetano  Campanella  :  Lecce,  1874. 

[In  some  ways  this  is  the  most  valuable  book  existing 
for  a  student  of  Lecce  history.  Under  the  headings 
of  street-names — for  all  Lecce  streets  bear  historical 
names — nearly  every  event  of  importance  in  local 
history  is  noticed,  and  ample  references  are  given.] 

86.  "  Di  un  Ipogeo  Messapico  scoperto  il  30  Agosto  1872 
nelle  rovine  di  Rusce,  e  Delle  origini  dei  popoli  della  Terra 
d'Otranto."     With  2  lith.  plates.     Lecce,  1872. 

87.  "  Tipi  degli  scavi  eseguiti  in  Terra  d'  Otranto  negli  anni 
1869-70." 

(A  volume  of  plates  added  to  No.  86.) 

88.  "Seici  lavorate,  bronzi  e  monumenti  di  tipo  preistorico 
di  Terra  d'Otranto,"  in  Biillettino  di  Paletnologia  Italiana, 
V.  9,  10,  II,  with  lith.  plate. 

89.  "Saggio  di  un  Dizionario  biobibliografico  Salentino,"  in 
the  Lecce  journal  Filosofo  Barba-bianca,   I.  9,   10. 

90.  "  La  Fiera  di  S.  Giacomo  al  Parco  nel  secolo  XI V."  Filosofo 
Barba-bianca,  I.  9,   10. 

91.  "La  vita  della  Terra  d'Otranto."  An  important  series 
of  scholarly  articles  valuable  to  ethnologists  and  students.  The 
principal  subjects  are : 

La  donna.  II  giuoco.  Le  streghe. 

II  matrimonio.  II  ballo.  II  fascino. 

La  morte.  Le  fate.  Gli  amuleti. 

II  vestito.  I  foUetti. 

92.  "  La  corte  del  Vescovo  di  Lecce,"  in  Temi  Salentina. 
Lecce. 

93.  "  II  diploma  in  Arti  e  Medecina  preso  da  Antonio  Galateo 
a  Ferrara  (nella  Commemorazione  del  CCCCIII.  anniversario 
del  giorno  in  cui  A.  G.  fu  laureato  in  arti  e  medicina  a  Ferrara). 
GallipoH,  1877. 

94.  "  Note  di  climatologia  Salentina."     Lecce,   1875. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  369 

95.  "  La  Madreperla  Salentina  ed  il  suo  biocculo  ;  Monografia 
illustriva  di  un  Album  di  lavori  in  lanapenna,  spediti  all'  Esposiz. 
di  Parigi."     Taranto,   1867. 

96.  Ditto,  reprinted  and  revised.     Lecce,   1873. 

97.  "Archivio  di  documenti  intorno  la  storia  della  Terra 
d'  Otranto."      8vo.     Lecce,  1876. 

(Consisting  mostly  of  documents  relating  to  early  history. 
No.  II.  is  the  oldest  known  municipal  document  of 
Lecce,  dating  from  the  time  of  Walter  V.,  1307,  and 
dealing  with  the  Universita.) 

98.  "  La  Ceramica  Salentina."     Cittadi?io  Leccese,  X.  52. 

99.  "  Gli  studi  storici  in  Terra  d'  Otranto  :  frammenti  estratti 
dair  Archivio  storio  italiano  a  cura  di  L.  G.  de  S."     8vo.    1888. 

(A  series  of  papers  and  collections  varying  much  in 
interest.  There  is  a  good  local  bibliography  (pp.  73- 
82)  and  a  list  of  travel  books  on  Lecce,  also  a  list 
of  local  family  names ;  a  number  of  municipal 
documents ;  a  history  of  Brindisi ;  notes  on  Lecce 
fortifications,  art,  and  history.) 

100.  [De  Simone  (L.  G.)]  Biographical  Sketch  of.  8vo,  pp.  16. 
Lecce,   i88o. 

Stefano  de  Nerito  : 

loi.  "  Chronicum  Neritinum,  1092-1412."  (S.  de  N.  was  a 
Nardb  Benedictine.  This  work  first  published  by  Muratori, 
Vol.  24  of  Rerum  Ital.  Script) 

Tafuri  (G.  B.): 

102.  Numerous  works  on  local  archaeology,  chiefly  edited. 
Published  early  in  eighteenth  century. 

Tasselh  (Luigi) : 

103.  "  Antichit^  di  Leuca,"  etc.,  etc.     4to.     Lecce,   1693. 

Tommaseo  (Niccolo) : 

104.  "II  duca  d' Atend  Narrazione  di  N.  T.  Appendice  da 
G.  Villani.     Dal  Machiavelli."     12 mo.     Paris,   1851. 

24 


370  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Addendum, 
Bacile  (Barone  Filippo) : 

105.  "  Una  passeggiata  per  le  vie  di  Lecce."    40  pp.     Lecce, 
1895- 


II.    SOME  BOOKS  BY  LECCE  WRITERS,  NOT  RELATING 
TO   THE   CITY 

Ammirato  (Scipione) : 

106.  "  Delle  famiglie  nobili  Fiorentine."  Part  I.  (Ed.  by  S.  A. 
the  younger.)     Folio.     Florence,  161 5, 

107.  "  Istorie  Fiorentine."  (Ed.  by  S.  A.  the  younger.) 
Florence,  1647. 

108.  "Delle  famiglie  nobili  Napoletane."  Part  I.  Florence, 
1580. 

109.  "Delle  famiglie  nobili  Napoletane."  Part  II.  (Ed.  by 
S.  A.  the  younger.)     Florence,   1651. 

no.  "  Discours  politiques  et  militaires,  sur  Corneille  Tacite 
,  .  .  contenant  les  fleurs  des  plus  belles  histoires  du  monde  .  .  . 
Traduits,  paraphrasez  et  augmentez  par  L.  Melliet,"  etc.  Lyon, 
1618-19. 

111.  "  Poesie  spirituali."  (Ed.  by  S.  A.  the  younger.)  Venice, 
1634. 

112.  "  Una  commedia  inedita  da  S.  A.  'I  Trasformati.' "  (Ed. 
by  C.  Valacca.)     pp.  xiii,  161,  8vo.     Trani,  1900. 

Cepolla  (Luigi)  : 

113.  "Sulla  migliore  forma  di  governo  in  una  societa  civile." 
1848. 

114.  "  Oratio  inauguralis  ad  bonarium  artium  et  litterar  um 
studia,  meliori  quam  antehac  methoda  excolenda,  et  in  hoc 
Seminario  statim  nunc  primum  inducenda."     Bari,  1841. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  37i 

115.  "  Saggio  analitico  di  varii  oggetti  di  morale,  di  scienze,  di 
arti  e  di  bella  ed  amena  letteratura."     Napoli. 

Persone  (Ermenegildo) : 

116.  "  Reflections  sur  ' I'Esprit  des  Lois'  de  Montesquieu." 

117.  "Supplemento  al  Diction,  istoriq.  et  critiq.  del  Moreri." 

118.  "  Saggio  in  tre  lettere  suUa  Diocesina  del  Genovesi." 


III.     SOME   OTHER   WORKS    CONSULTED    IN    PRE- 
PARING  THIS   VOLUME 

Anderson  (W.  J.) : 

"  Italian  Renaissance  Architecture."     London  :   Batsford. 

Bellucci  (Prof.  Giuseppe) : 

"  Gli  Amuleti."     pp.64.     Perugia,  1908. 

Elworthy  (F,  J.) : 

"  The  Evil  Eye."     London  :  Murray,  1895. 

James  (William) : 

"A  Naval  History  of  Great  Britain,   1 793-1820."     London: 
Macmillan,  1902. 

Jones  (W.  H.  S.)  : 

'*  Disease  and  History."     Hastings,  1909. 

(A  lecture  tracing  the  effects  of  malaria  on  history.) 

Leader-Scott  : 

"  Sir  John    Hawkwood."     (Trans,   from    "  Giovanni    Acuto.") 
London:  Unwin,  1889. 

Millar  (Dr.) : 

"The  Latins  in  the  Levant."     Recent. 


372  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Montaigne  (Michael,  Lord) : 

"Travels    in    Italy,"    1580-1.     (Trans,    by   W.   G.    Waters.) 
London  :  Murray,  1903. 

Nicolas  (Sir  N.  H.)  : 

"  The   Dispatches  and  Letters    of  Lord   Nelson."     London : 
Colburn,  1848. 

Pausanias  : 

With   commentary   by   Dr.   J.  G.    Frazer.     6  vols.     London : 
Macmillan,  1898. 

Piozzi  (Mrs.) : 

"  Glimpses   of  Italian    Society  in    the    Eighteenth  Century." 
London  :  Seeley. 

Walpole  (Horace)  : 

"  Anecdotes  of  Painting  in  England  ;   with  some  Account  of 
the  Principal  Artists."     London  :  Sonnenschein,  1888. 

ZiMMERN  (Helen) : 

"  Italy  of  the  Italians."     London:  Pitman,  1906. 

(A  most  graphic  and  interesting  survey  of  Italian   life 
to-day.     Lecce  is  referred  to.) 


IV.     BOOKS    DEALING   WITH    BAROQUE   ARCHI- 
TECTURE 
DoHME  (R.) : 

"  Barock  und  Rokoko  Architektur."     3  vols.     1884. 

(Folio,  with  fine  collotype  plates  ;  refers  only  to  Germany 
and  Paris.) 

GURLITT  (C.) : 

"  Geschichte  des  Barockstiles."     3  vols.  8vo.     1887-9. 
(The  first  volume  deals  with  Italy.) 


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INDEX 


Aboukir,  203 
Abruzzi,  112 
Accademia  Lupiensis,  177,  192 

—  Dei  Trasformati,  184,  192 

—  Degli  Spioni,  192-4 
Speculatori,  199,  200 

—  Salentina,  221 
Accardus,  91 
Acciajuoli,  138 
Achaians,  41,  42 
Acquaviva  Family,  199 
Acragas,  42 

Acroceraunian  Mts.,  321 
Adriatic  Sea,  i,  5,  25,  41,  44,  56, 

114,  117,  136,  152,  159,  215 
Akmet,  323-4 
Albania,  46,  116 
Albanian  Dialect,  291 
Alberici,  Francesco,  148 
Albiria,  99,  102-105,  109 
Alessano,  154,  301 
Alexander  of  Epirus,  44 

—  VIII.,  Pope,  189 
Alexandria,  98 
Alimini,  Lake,  327 
Alphonso  II.,  167,  169,  170 

—  of  Aragon,  168,  326 
Altamura,  143,  158,  166 
Amalfi,  85 
Amphitheatre,  76 
Ancona,  5 

Andria,  99,  141,  143,  149 
Andronicus,  125 
Angelis,  De,  193,  295 
Annichiarico,  217,  219 


80, 


Apennines,  8,  80,  86 

Apollonia,  321 

Appian  Way,  14,  79 

Apulia,  19,  24,  25,  31,  47,  86,  88,  91, 

99,   100,    115,   123,   130,   142,   208, 

215,  219,  233 
Arabs,  the,  322 

Aragon,  House  of,  165,  173,  177 
Archidamus,  44 
Architects,  Local  : 

Acaya,  182,  237-8,  259 

Bischetini,  316 

Carducci,  260 

Cino,  240,  251,  261 

Colaci,  311 

Colutio,  260 

Lachibari,  317 

Penna,  260 

Riccardo,  258 

Zimbalo,  78,  240,  251,  260-1 
Architecture.     See  Chapter  VIII.  and 

Appendix  ;  also  under  "  Baroque," 

"  Churches,"  "  Palaces  " 
Argolis,  123 
Arras,  184 
Arta,  130 

Arthur  of  Brittany,  100 
Assisi,  St.  Francis  of,  113,  323 
Athens,  43,  79,  119,  123,  148 

—  Duchy  of,  122,  126 

—  Dukes  of.     See  "  Brienne." 
Attica,  123 

Aurelius,  Marcus,  35 
Austria,  Archdukes  of,  222 
Austrian  Soldiers,  202,  220 
Avetrana,  179 
Avignon,  135 


373 


374 


INDEX 


Balbus,  Quintus  Fabius,  51 

Baleso,  95,  162 

Balmis,  177 

Balzo,  Francesco  del,  141,  143,  145 

Baizo  Giovannantonio  del,  136,156-7, 

166 
Barbarossa,  98-100 
Bargello,  134 

Bari,  5,  25,  84,  86,  88,  116,  179,  224 
Barletta,  107,  112,  179 
Barone  Family,  178-181 
Baroque  Architecture.   Chapter  VIII. 

Also  pp.  15,  20,  311,  326 
Basento,  9 
Basilicata,  8,  224 
Basil  the  Macedonian,  85 
Belisarius,  80,  322 
Benedettini,  239 
Benedict  XIII.,  Pope,  157 
Beneventum,  49,  88,  116,  117 
Berengaria  of  Castile,  no 
Berengarius,  84 
Bernardo,  Oddo  di,  125 
Bianchi,  216 
Bisceglie,  179 
Bisignano,  180 
Boccapianolo,  188 
Boeotia,  123 
Bohemund,  90 
Bologna,  189 

Boniface  IX.,  Pope,  156,  163 
Bourbon,  150,  208,  214,  220,  231 
Bourget,    quoted,    19,    32,    248,    302, 

305 
Bradanus,  208 
Brienne,  Hugh  of,  117-123,  129 

—  Joan  of,  135 

—  John  of,  108-115 

—  Walter  III.  of,  103-108 

IV.  of,  109-115,  117 

V.  of,  124-6 

VI.  of,   126-37 

Brigandage,  215 

Brindisi,  5,  6,  12,  23,  24,  48,  49,  77, 
88,  89,  100,  107,  no,  in,  114,  117, 
122-3,  129,  135,  153,  154,  170-3, 
179,  193.  291,  321 

Brundusiura.     See  Brindisi 

Brunetti,  195 

Brussels,  140,  160 

Brunswick,  Gilbert  of,  17 1-3 


Burelli,  118 

Burleigh,  266 

Burton,  243 

Byzantines,  80 

Byzantium.     See  Constantinople 


"  Cacciatori  di  Mongiano,"  the,  233 

Cactus  Plant,  10 

Cjesar,  14 

Calabria,   8,    24,   37,    115,    124,   211, 
224,  233 

—  John  of,  324 

Calais,  12 

Calchas,  the  Soothsayer,  86 

"  Calderari,"  the,  215,  217 

Campi  Salentini,  233 

Cannae,  46,  107 

Canosa,  47,  143,  217 

"  Capo  "  District,  the,  29 

Capri,  216 

Capua,  78,  107,  III,  182 

Capuchins,  274 

Caracci,  265 

Caracciolo  Family,  175,  178 

Carafa,  204,  241 

Caravaggio,  263 

"Carbonari,"  the,  214,  220 

Carnesecchi  Family,  152 

Carta-Pesta  Industry,  28 

Carthage,  48 

Casarano,  192 

Caserta,  135,  222 

Cassiodorus,  66,  322 

Castellan  o,   180 

Castriota,  179,  181 

Castro,  39,  150,  180,  227 

Castromediano,  21,  31,  38,  180-1,  223, 

227-35,  328 
Catalania,  120 
Catapan,  the,  89 
Catania,  124 
Catholicism  in  Lecce,  26,    no,   133, 

154,  181,  209-10,  239,  280 
Cavallerizza,  148 
Cavallino,  227,  234,  305 
Celestini,  the,  239 
Cellini,  202,  258 
Cephissus,  126 
Cesare  of  Aragon,  171 
Cesari,  de.  208 


I 


I 


INDEX 


375 


Ceva-Grimaldi  quoted,  147 
Chambers,  242 
Champagne,  105 
Charles  II.,  187,  193 

—  III.,  200 

—  v.,  15,  20,  182,  237,  241,  304,  326, 

—  of  Anjou,  116,  121,  125,  169-70 

—  VIII.  of  France,  168 

—  II.  of  England,  264 

—  the  Bald,  148 

"  Chevaliers  de  la  Mort,"  the,  124 
China,  a  Leccese  in,  186 
Chiuse  di  Susa,  83 
Church,  Gen.,  219 
Churches,  Lecce : 

The  Cathedral,  237,  240-1,  251-3, 

260-1,  267,  281,  332 
Alcantarine,  240,  252,  334 
Angiolilli,  335 
S.  Angelo,  240,  260,  334 
S.  Anna,  335 
S.  Antonio,  252,  335 
S.  Chiara,  240,  252-3,  338 
S.  Croce,  151,  161,  183,  213,  239, 
240,     248-50,     255-6,     258-60, 
336 
S.  Eligio,  339 
S.  Elisabetta,  238,  249,  339 
S.  Francesco,  176,  339 
Gesu,  238,  341 
S.  Irene,  154,  214,  239,  342 
S.  Marco,  152-3,  238,  249,  343 
S.  Matteo,  240,  252,  344 
S.  M.  degli  Angeli,  240,  345 
S.  M.  di  Cerrate,  346 
S.  M.  delJe   Grazie,  152,  239,  251, 

346 
S.  M.  della  Porta,  237,  253,  346 
Madonna   del  Carmine,    206,    238, 

240,  252,  347 
S.  Nicol6  e  Cataldo,  237,  240,  247, 

251-2,  280,  307,  348 
S.  Nicolo  de  Greci,  191,  259,  349 
Nativity,  349 
Paolotti,  237,   349 
Rosario,  238,  240,  261,  350 
Scalze,  251,  260,  351 
S.  Sebastiano,  237,  238,  249,  351 
S.  Teresa,  252-3,  35? 
Cicero,  49,  321 
Clairmont,  Tristan  de,  150 
Clarenza,  96 
Clement  IX.,  Pope,  189 


Clement  X.,  Pope,  189 

Cleon,  45 

Clisitera,  35 

Comnenus,  Helen,  116 

Conan  Doyle,  27 

Condottieri,  the,  142 

Conflans,  Eustace  de,  105 

Coniger,   194 

Conradin,  116,  n8 

Constance,  Abbess,  138 

—  Empress,  98,  107,  109 

Constantine,  65 

Constantinople,  50,  80,  86,  rig,  321 

Contarini,  189-91 

Conversano,  138,  140,  141,  212 

Copertino,  141 

Corfu,  12,  116,  130,  320 

Cosimo  I.,  294 

Coutances,  89 

Craven,  Hon.  R.  K.,  quoted,  17,  18 

Crete,  14,  33-7 

Croton,  41-3,  49 

Crusades,  96,  99,  105 

Cyprus,  115,  117-120 


D 


Dante,  quoted,  113 

Dark  Ages,  the,  15,  46,  79,  85 

Darwin,  27 

Daun,  Count,  193,  197 

Daunus,  35,  36 

"  Decisi,"  the,  217-220 

Decius,  79 

Deucalion,  33 

Dicearchia,  41 

Diepold,  107,  108 

Diodorus  Siculus,  35 

Dionysius,  43,  44 

Dominicans,    the,    163-4,    238,    259, 

323 
Drogo,  141,  143 
Drogon,  76 
Durante,  quoted,  158 
Durazzo,  116,  142,  321 


Earthquakes,  24 
Egnazia,  47 
Egypt,  no,  114 


376 


INDEX 


Enghien,  John  of,  138 

—  Louis  of,  141 

—  Mary  of,    126,    143,    145,    148-56, 
161-3 

—  Pirro  of,  139 

—  Sigiero  of,  140 

—  Walter  of,  1 39 

England,  116,  137,  178,  185,  193,  195, 

201,  245,  311 
Ennius,  Quintus,  49 
Enotrii,  42 
Epirus,  37,  40,  125 
Etna,  124 
Euippa,  35 
Euxine,  40 


F 


Faenza,  189 

Fatalo,  1 1 3-4 

Ferdinand  the  Catholic,  173-4 

—  IV.  of  Naples,   165-69,  200,  203, 
213-16,  220,  322,  324 

—  II.  ("Bomba"),  221-2,  230 
Ferecides  Sirius,  35 

Ferrara,  167,  194 
Ferraris,  de,  176 
Feudalism  in  1799,  211 -13 
Florence,  80,  127,  129,  131,  132-188, 
244,  294 

—  Walter  of  Athens  at,  129,  131 

—  and  Lecce,  15 1-2 
Foggia,  5 

Foote,  Captain,  204 

Fouche,  325 

"  Foudroyant,"  the,  205 

Foundlings  in  Lecce,  184-5 

Francavilla  Fontana,  29,  219,  279 

France,  97,  104,  106,  no,  117,  119, 

124,  174,  178,  203 
Francis  I.  of  Naples,  221 

—  II.,  222 

Frederick  II.,  110-12,  114,  125 

—  of  Aragon,  17 1-4,  178 
Friars,  the,  113,  166 


Gagliano,  124 

Galateus,  22,  38,  ^^,  136,  162,  177, 
183 


Galatina,  157,  247,  306 

Gallienus,  79 

Gallipoli,  23,  29,  31,  39,  81,  89,  121, 

126,  150,  154,   170,  179,  224,  273, 

278,  301,  312-19 
Garganus,  Mount,  85,  86 
Garibaldi,  201 
Gaston  de  Foix,  178 
Gates,   Lecce  : 

Porta  di  Napoli,  196 

—  Rusce,  36,  161,  240 

—  San  Biagio,  146,  241 
Genoa,  120,  244,  274 

—  and  Lecce,  153 

Geoffrey  Hauteville  (First  Count  of 

Lecce),  89-92 
Germany,  40,  no,  178,  219 
Gerunda,  208 
Gibbon,  quoted,  81,  86,  88 
Gibbs,  242 

Giliberto  de  Gothi,  90 
Giordano,  Luca,  262 
Giorgi,  Prof,  de,  21,  30,  78 
Giotto,  311 
Giovinazzo,  179 
Giovanni  d' Aymo,  161-4 
Gissing,  quoted,  2,  9,  10 
Gladstone,  W.  E.,  232 
Goldoni,  300 

Gonsalvo  di  Cordova,  174 
Gothic  Revival,  the,  258 
Goths,  the,  79,  322 
Greece,  12,  14,  31,  37-47,  88,  96,  120, 

191,  321 
Gregorovius,  quoted,  19 
Gregory,  Pope,  261 
Grimani,  Cardinal,  170,  195 
Grottaglie,  173,  291 
Guarini,  113 

Guido  of  Ravenna,  quoted,  84 
Guigni  Family,  152 


H 


Hadrian,  50 

Haemus,  80 

Hamilton,  Jackson,  quoted,  18,  281, 

301 
Hamilton,  Lady,  203 
Hampton  Court,  202,  266 
Hannibal,  46,  107 
Hauteville  Family,  88,  99,  140 


INDEX 


377 


Hawkwood,  141-2. 

Helen  of  Troy,  33 

Henry  VI.,  98,  100 

Heraclea,  45 

Holland,  178,  193 

Holy  Land,   the,  76,   108,   no,   114, 

115,  117 
Homer,  33,  49 
Honorius  HI.,  Pope,  no 
Horatius,  202 
Hungary,  Matthias  of,  324 
Huxley,  27 


Idomeneus,  33,  35 
lUjn-ia,  321 
Infantine,  159 
Innocent  II.,  Pope,  93 

—  III.,  Pope,  105,  106 

—  IV.,  Pope,  115,  117,  120,  125,  130, 
135 

—  XL,  Pope,  189 

—  XII.,  Pope,  188-91 
Ionian  Sea,  i,  9,  41,  44 
Irish  Saint,  an,  75 
Italy,  Charm  of,  1-4 
Isaac,  Emperor,  100 


James  II.,  266 

Japygia,  37,  43.  56 

Jerusalem,    John    of,    105,     110-13, 

135 
Jesuits  in  Lecce,  185,  221 
Jews,  200,  243 

—  in  Lecce,  154-5 
Joanna,  99 

—  of  Chatillon,  125,  127 

—  of    Naples,    134,    138,    141,     150, 
165 

Joinville,  Robert  de,  105 

Jonathas,  327 

Joppa,  115 

Joseph  Bonaparte,  215,  355 

Julius  III.,  Pope,  184 

Justinian,  81 


K 

Kneller,  Sir  G.,  265 
Knights  Templars,  153 
Knossos,  35 


Ladislaus,  King,  73,  149,  167 
La  Roche,  William  de,  122 

—  Otto  de,  123 
Lauria,  Roger  of,  120-25 
Lecce,  bookshops  in,  27,  272 

—  Customs,  155,  271,  274,  276-81 

—  Dialect,  291 

—  Education  in,  26,  182,  221 

—  Folksongs,  278,  300 

—  Games,  274,  282 

—  Gardens,  30,  280 

—  Garrison,  32,  121,  144 

—  Horses,  147-8,   156,  271-2 

—  Hotels,  30,  271 

—  Ignorance  of,  22 

—  Interest  of,  16 

—  Journey  to,  5-15 

—  Museum,  31,  41,    46,  234 

—  Name  of,  22,  41,  50,  51 

—  Railways,  29 

—  Street  scenes,  28,  32,  187,  218,  270 

—  Theatres,  84,  218,  275,  298-300 

—  Writers  on,  17-22 
Leucippus,  317 
Leuco,  35 
Licinius,  65-74 
Lillo,  30C 

Liris,  115 
Locris,  42,  123 
Lombards,  the,  85,  322 
Lombardy,  Theme  of,  84,  85 
London,  Verrio  in,  264-7 
Louis  of  Anjou,  142,  149,  150 

—  of  Tar  ant  o,   116,  135 

—  XII.  of  France,  117,  r73.  178 

—  XIV.  of  France,  191 
Lowe,  216 

Lucani,  44,  45 

Lucca,  131 

Lucera,  118 

Lupiae.     See  "  Lecce,"  41,  44 

Lusignan,  Guy  de,  96 

—  Jacques  de,  96 

—  Marie  de,  115 


378 


INDEX 


M 


Macao,  i86 

Maccagnani,  30 

Maglie,  30 

Magna    Graecia,  2,  9,  24,  39,  41,  44- 

46,  48,  85,  302 
Mahomet  II.,  323-4 
Maida,  216 

Malaria,  23,  48,  92,  108,  327 
Malaterra,  quoted,  87 
Malatesta  da  Rimini,  131 
Malennius,  19,  34,  35 
Malta,  188,  262 
Manduria,  44,  222,  291,  327 
Manfred,  115-18,  165 
Maniaces,  87 
Maramonte    Family,   116,    129,    i37, 

138,   144-5 
Marcel  lo,  318 
March,  Earl  of,  100 
Margaret  of  Anjou,  129 
Maria  Carolina,  Queen,  203,  213 
Marsilius,  162 
Martyrs,  List  of,  75 
Masaniello,    188,   239 
Massa,  Gen.,  203-207 
Massafra,  291 
"  Mayflower,"  the,  40 
Mayor  of  Lecce,   198 
Mazzarella,  223,  226,  319 
Mediterranean  Sea,    36,    40,    79,    85, 

179 
Mejean,   204 
Melfi,  III,  179 
Melo,  86 
Melun,  105 
Menelaus,  33 

Mesagne,  116,  153,  171-3.  ^79 
Messapian  Remains,  24,  31,  37,  38 
Messina,  99,  100 
Metaponto,  6,  9,  42 
Metastasio,  298 
Metternich,  215 
Micheroux,  204-6,  355 
Milan,  5,  29,  173-4 
Minos,  33,  35 
Mirage  near  Lecce,  302 
Molfetta,  179 
Moliere,  300 
Molise,  224 

Mommsen,  quoted,  38,  49 
Monasteries,  Dissolution  of,  213 


Montacute.     See   "  Hawkwood  " 

Montbelliard,  Walter  de,  105 

Mont  Cenis,  106 

Montaigne,  quoted,  160 

Montefusco,  230 

Montepeloso,    107 

Montuoro,  195 

Morelet,  124-5 

Mortlake  Tapestries,  264 

Moslems,  85,  168 

Murat,  208,  213,  215,  355 

Murgie,  291 

Museum,  British,  38,  47,  52 

Museums,  Local,  31,  41,  46-234,316,  7 


N 


Naples,  5,  16,  17,  29,  40,  51,  80,  85, 
86,  100,  116,  117-19,  127,  131,  149, 

168,  177,   178,   187,  203,  215,  224, 
229,  232,  263,  294 

—  kingdom  of,    128,    148,    154,    165, 

169,  193,  195,  200,  206,  208 
Napoleon,  59,  200,  208,  214,  325 
Nardo,  29,  39,  116,  150,  154,  181,  224, 

327 
Narses,  322 
"  Neapolitan  School,"  the,  31 

—  Exiles,  the,  228-31 
Nelson,  Lord,  203-206 
Nero,  52,  59,  60 

Normans,  the.     See  Chapter  III. 
Novoli,  29 


O 


Occilia.no,  82 

Octavian,  50 

Orange,  Prince  of,  178 

Oria,     12,    23,    116,    130,    150,    154, 

277 
Orsini,  Raimondello,  149,  307,  309 
Ostuni,  179,  291 
Otho  the  Great,  84 
Otranto,  23,  24,  29,  30,  39,  88,  89-91, 

96,    107,    116,    140,    168-70,    259, 

320-29 

—  "  Castle  of,"  326 

—  Duke  of,  325 


INDEX 


379 


Otranto,  The  "  Terra  di,"  25,  29,  34, 
39,  46,  49.  75,  76,  79.  87,  89,  107, 
112,  114,  115,  119,  128,  130,  147, 
167,  179,  208,  222,  224,  233,  247, 
283,  301 


P.  and  O.  Steamers,  12 
Padua,  177 
Painters,  Lecce  : 

Andrea  da  Lecce,  261,  267 

Coppola,  267,  269,  316 

Matteo  da  Lecce,  261-2,  267 

Malinconico,  267 

Ribera,  262 

Scorrano,  316 

Tiso,  267,  268,  281 

Verrio,  Antonio,  263-4,  268 

—  Giuseppe,  263,  268 
Palaces,    Lecce  : 

Adomi,  353 

Castello,  204,  207,   238,  272,  299, 

353 
Conte  Balzo,  161,  354 

—  Castriota,  354 
Liceo,  26,  354 
Paladini,  355 
Municipio,  254 
Palmier i,  221,  355 
Perroni,  113,  355 
Prato,  355 

Prefettura,  222,  255,  336 
Sedile,  255,  356 
Seminario,  255,  261,  357 
Tribunali,  238,  357 
Vescovado,  255,  357 

Paladini     Family,     114,     180,     193, 

198-9 
Palma,  193 
Palascia,  182 

Palermo,  93,  97,  107,  116,  204 
Palladio,  242 
Panteleone,  327 
Papier  Mache  Industry,  28 
Pappacoda,     Bishop,      188,     239, 

261 
Paris,  135,  157,  173 
Parthenopean  Republic,  207,  325 
Passignano,  152 
Patras,  12 


"  Patriotti  Europel,"  the,  216,  219 

Pausanias,  quoted,  50 

Pelasgic  Stock,  37,  40 

Peloponnesus,  37,  40 

Penne,  182 

Pepe,  Gen.,  220 

Persians,  80 

Persona,  Renzo  di,  116 

Perugia,  188 

Peruzzi,  152,  245 

Peter,  the  Hermit,  90 

—  of  Aragon,  117,  120 
Philip  IL,  105,  182 
— IIL,  187 

—  IV.,  187 

—  v.,  200 

—  the  Fair,  125 

—  the  Long,  127 

—  Augustus,  99,  100,  103 

—  de  Courtenay,  119 
Phocis,  123 
Phcebe,  55 

Piazza  S.  Oronzo,  38 

Piccinni,  297 

Pignatelli,     Ant.     See    "  Innocent 

XIL" 
Pignatelli  Fabrizio,  195,  197 
Piraeus,  79 
Pironti,  230-1 
Pisa,  131 
Pistoia,  131 

Pizzica-pizzica  Dance,  277,  283 
Pliny,  quoted,  39,  310,  321 
Poerio,  229-31,  329 
Poggiardo,  39,  140,  180 
Poggio,  176 
Poland,  188 
Pompeii,  7,  78,  201 
Pompey,  14 
Pontano,  176 

Porcian,  Walter  de,  125,  127 
Portugal,  193 
Posidonia,  49 
Potenza,  8,  209,  224 
Pozzuoli,  319 

Prato  Family,  107,  137,  138,  144 
Primaldo,  324 

Printing  in  Lecce,  early,  175 
Procida,  228-9 
Ptolemy,  39 
Pugin,  243 

Pyrrhus  of  Epirus,  321 
Pythagoras,  2,  42,  61,  85,  177 


38o 


INDEX 


Ragusa,  153 

Raphoe,  76 

Ravenna,  80 

Realino,  Father,  185 

Reggio  di  Calabria,  43,  170 

Regio,  quoted,  59,  73,  74,  75,  -77 

Renaissance  Architecture,  201,  245-8 

Ren6  of  Anjou,  165 

Rhudiae.     See  "  Rusce  " 

Ricci,  Father,  186 

Richard  Coeur-de-Lion,  99,  roo 

Rimini,  5 

Ripa  of  Brindisi,  135 

Robert  Guiscard,  15,  89,  326 

—  Hauteville,  89 

—  of  Calabria,  124,  125,  129 

—  of  Lecce,  91-96,  176 
Rocca,  136,  181,  198 
Roger  Hauteville,  90 

—  II.  of  Sicily,  93-7,  loo-ioi 

—  of  Apulia,  93-5,  326 
Romano,  quoted,  159 

Rome,  3,  5,  14,  29,  44,  45,  48,  61,  79, 
80,  106,  157,  197,  201 

—  Baroque  Buildings  in,  244-9 
Romualdo  of  Beneventum,  83 

"  Rondine,"  the,  229 

Rosa,  Salvator,  263 

Ross,  Mrs.,  quoted,  18,  61,  155,  168, 

207,  228,  232,  233,  281,  300,  301, 

328 
Rotti,  319 
Ruffo,  204-6 

Rusce,  34,  38,  39,  49,  95,  96 
Ruskin,  quoted,  159 


Sagrentino,  318 
St.  Cataldus,  75-7 

Harbour  of,  23,  29,  50,  123,  173, 

227,  285,  304 
S.  Cesario  di  Lecce,  306 
S.  Donato  di  Lecce,  118 
St.  Fortunatus,  52-62 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  113,  323 
S.  Giovanni  d'  Aymo,  161-3 


S.  Herina,  65-74 

St.  Justus,  52-62,  282 

S.  Maria  di  Leuca,  Cape,  30,  37,  73, 

161,  182,  301 
St.  Mark,  152 
St.  Michael,  86 
St.  Nicholas,  75 
St.  Nicholas  the  Pilgrim,  90 
S.  Nicola,  184,  327 
St.  Orontius,  52-65,  282 
St.  Paul,  52-62,  202 
St.  Peter,  191 
S.  Pietro  Vernotico,  129 
S.  Venera,  65-74 

Salentines,  the,  34,  37,  38,  146-7 
Salerno,  6,  7,  85,  108 
Samnites,  the,  45 
"Santa  Fede,"  the,  204 
Saracens,  the,  32,  84,  93,   100,   118, 

292 
Saso,  321 

Sava,  222,  225,  291 
Savoy,  193 
Schiavoni,  230 
Scott,  243 
Sculptors,    Local : 

Aver,  316 

Boffelli,  260 

Riccardo,  258-9 
Segine,  128 
Selicio,  147 

Sentinel,  the  Lecce,  160 
Sforza,  167 
Sicilian  Vespers,  120 
Sicily,   41,   85,   87,   96,   99-102,   108, 

1 16-18,  166,  174,  200 
Siena,  20 
Simone,  de,  quoted,  21,  49,  jy,  127, 

133,  140,  147,  164,  166,  177,  183, 

189,  191,  194,  199,  222,  227,  263, 

273,  278 
Sindaco,  the.     See  "  Mayor  of  Lecce" 
Sismondi,  quoted,  166 
Sixtus  IV.,  Pope,  317 
Snuff  Industry,  the,  29 
Soleto,  157,  306,  310 
Sorrento,  108 
Soult,  Marshal,  208,  325 
Spain,  89,  117,  147,  165,  178,  182 
Sparta,  40,  41,  44,  45 
Spaventa,  233 
Squillace,  48 
"  Staccatu,"  the,  277 


INDEX 


381 


Stematia,  168,  306 

Strabo,  quoted,  49,  321 

Stuart,  Gen.,  216 

Subiaco,   175 

Surbo,  loi 

Sybaris,  41,  43,  50-51 

Sybil  of  Lecce,  94-6,  98,  109 

Symons,  Arthur,  quoted,  4,  20 

Syracuse,  42 


Tafagnano,  144-5 
Tagliacozzo,  118 
Tanager,  7 
Tancred  de  Hauteville,  89 

at  Lecce,  loi 

of  Sicily,  92,  96-102 

Tarantella  Dance,  the,  282-4 
Taranto,  6,  11,  23,  37,  41-6,  48,  49. 

76,  88,  90,  98,  109,  116,  122,  129, 

150,  169,  173,  180,  276,  278,  291, 

320 
Tarantula  Spider,  283 
Tasselli,  Father,  192 
Teatini,  the,  214 
Terenzano,  118,  128 
Teresiani  Scalzi,  the,  239 
Thebes,  79 
Theodoric,  80,  85 
Thessalonica,  98,  126 
Thessaly,  126 
Thomson,  "  Greek,"  243 
Thrace,  79,  80 
Thurii,  43,  45 
Tito,  8 

Tolentino,  215,  216 
Tomacelli.    See  "  Boniface  IX." 
Totila,  80,  322 
Trapani,  120 
Trepuzzi,  128 

Tricarico,  Count  of,  109,  116 
Trieste,  319 
Troy,  33-5,  60,  80 
Troyes,  128 
Tunis,  85 
Turin,  222,  232 
Turks,  the,  168,  169,  192,  197,  309. 

326,  324 
Tuscany,  142,  322 


U 

Ugento,  39,  297 

Ukraine,  79,  80 

"  University,"  the,  212 

Urania,  100 

Urban  VI.,  Pope,  326 

Urhino,  188 

Ursis,  Sabatino  de,  186 


Valla,  176 

Valona,  320,  322 

Vandals,  the,  317 

Vanni  of  Florence,  133 

Varangian  Guards,  the,  88 

Varro,  quoted,  147,  321 

Vases  in  Lecce  Museum,  47 

Vaste,  39,  95 

Venice,     162,     177,     179,    244,    263, 

294 
—  Lecce  and,   152-3 
Ventimiglia,  95 
Venusia,  49 
Verona,  78,  no,  311 
Vertue,  quoted,  266 
Vespasian,  50 
Vesuvius,  6 
Victor  Emanuel,  232 
Vienna,  215 
Villani,  quoted,  132 
Virgil,  33 

Visconti,  Robert,  102 
Vol  terra,  131 


W 

Wallachia,  Prince  of,  125 

Walpole,    Horace,     quoted,     263-7, 

326 
Water,  Scarcity  of,  24-5 
Wells,  H.  G.,  27 
"  White  Company,"  the    142 
Wilde,  Oscar,  27 
William  Ironarm,  88 

—  the  Bad,  59,  93,  95,  97 

—  the  Good,  98 

Wren,  Sir  C,  239,  242,  258 


382 


INDEX 


Writers,  Lecce  : 
D'  Amelio,  297 
Ammirato,  156,  183,  274,  275,  294- 

5,  297 
Angelis,  de,  297 
Belli  Pietro,  297 
Braccio,  294,  297 
Cepolla,  297 
Coniger,  293 
Ferrari,  180,  194,  293 
Ferraris,  de,  176,  293 
Grandi,  295,  302 
Infantine,  295 
Panettera,  294,  297 
Persona,  297 


Writers,  Lecce : 
Piccinni,  297,  299 
Prioli,  de,  294 


Yolande  of  Jerusalem,  no,  in 


Zante,  320 
Zollino,  29 
Zurlo,  323 


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